Somebody's Got Your Back
by annegoddamn
Summary: COMPLETE! Piccolo had thought that he had seen and experienced everything, in his long life. Through the persistence and support of a man and his family, he is about to learn how wrong he was. Spin-off to A Thrilling Chase.
1. Chapter 1

**Somebody's Got Your Back**

 _Piccolo had thought that he had seen and experienced everything, in his long life. Through the persistence and support of a man and his family, he is about to learn how wrong he was. Spinoff to A Thrilling Chase._

Yes, the sequel to A Thrilling Chase is still happening. I finally have a plot that I'm happy with, and I've already begun writing it. However, I've had this story planned for a while. I was doing this, regardless of whether or not there was going to be a sequel. The story makes a bit more sense, if you've read _A Thrilling Chase_ and understand the context surrounding it, but I don't think it's mandatory. I'll try to make it palatable, for newbs. Thank you for your continued patience and support. Enjoy!

* * *

Piccolo sat with his legs crossed, floating above the ground. His arms were crossed and his eyes were closed, as he quietly meditated. Afterwards, he might do some training and try to teach himself some new move sets. He might go to find something to eat, if he got bored enough. When the sun went down, he would meditate once again until the monotony lulled him to sleep.

This was his routine, for the past year; and it was starting to get old.

He didn't understand why. Ever since he was trapped in the Dragon Ball, he would have given anything to be free, again. Being slave to the whims of countless terrible people for over a century wore him thin. He didn't care about revenge towards Kami or anything like that: he just wanted out of it. Things had been different, ever since he returned to Earth.

Now, he finally had his freedom.

The problem was that he didn't know what to do with it.

He didn't enjoy the revelry and activities that most others could get into. He didn't have the chance to gain any hobbies or interests, outside of the occasional spar. He didn't have any family or friends that he could attend too. He wasn't even normal looking, by most species' standards. He accepted years ago that he was destined to be a recluse. When he was enslaved, that was easier to digest. Now that he was free to do what he wanted, loneliness had started to creep in. He was stuck in limbo, and he had no clue as to what he was supposed to do about it.

Most days, he would sit on the corner of the lookout, meditating. Kami would try to speak with him, but he would always ignore him. The old man was still irritatingly compassionate, after all these years. It made him feel sick, to his stomach. He supposed he still had a bit of his father in him, after all these years.

That was how that afternoon began.

"Piccolo," Kami spoke. "You shouldn't have to sit there, sulking for the rest of your life. Perhaps you could go down with the others, and make a new life for yourself."

Piccolo rolled his eyes. Not this speech, again. He figured Kami, of all people, would know that most Earthlings weren't very accepting of people that were different from them.

"I do know that." Piccolo grimaced. He hated having him read his mind, like that. "But you should also know that there are those who would be willing to accept you, and give you that chance. Have you already forgotten about Bulma?"

Bulma didn't count. She was far too foolish and trusting, for her own good. She wasn't the norm. Besides, he hadn't seen or heard from her, since she left Namek with the Saiyans.

Kami sighed, knowing he was going to get nowhere with his other-half. "Piccolo, it's this kind of thinking that has gotten you stuck here, in the first place. I'm not going to force you to leave, but eventually, you'll get tired of sitting here, and take my advice. I guarantee that's going to happen, eventually." With that, Kami left him alone.

Piccolo grunted, in annoyance, and closed his eyes. He hated it when Kami tried to baby him. He wasn't even trying to understand his perspective. He shook his head. He was not going to let his words get to him. He breathed out, and blocked out all other thoughts, in meditation

His concentration was immediately broken, when he heard a loud whooshing sound from above. He heard a pair of feet hit the floor of the lookout, with a loud thud. Now, he was confused. The last he remembered, this place was closed-off from the outside world. Why were they having visitors?

His curiosity got the better of him, and he peaked over his shoulder. A tall man was standing at the edge of the lookout, with his hands on his hips. His hair was spiking in all different directions, and he was wearing a doofy-looking grin on his face.

Already, he was annoyed.

The man walked up to the flower patch, where Mr. Popo was watering the garden.

Mr. Popo looked up and smiled. "Ah, Goku. What a pleasant surprise."

"Hey, Mr. Popo! Say, do you know where Kami is? I wanted to ask him about the Dragon Balls."

Speak of the devil, Kami teleported out by him. He had a pleasant smile, on his face. "Oh. Good afternoon, Goku. How are you?"

"I'm doing great! Hey, do you know how long it's gonna take, until the Dragon Balls are ready, again?"

"Hold on, let me think…" Kami paused, for a moment, putting his finger on his chin. "How long ago was it, since we used them, last?"

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "You have another two months," he interjected. He immediately regretted speaking, when he had gained that idiot's attention.

Goku pointed at him. "Hey, who's that? I haven't met him, before."

Kami had an odd look on his face. It looked like he was planning something. Piccolo didn't like it. "This is Piccolo. He's my other half."

Goku looked amazed. "Whoa! That's awesome!"

"You should go over, and introduce yourself."

Piccolo was silently cursing his other half. He crossed his arms, and closed his eyes tightly, hoping to will him away.

Goku clobbered up behind him. "Hi! My name's Goku. It's nice to meet you!"

Maybe if he ignored him long enough, he'd get bored and leave.

"So, are you, like, Kami's brother, or something? He never mentioned you, when I met him as a kid. You sure look a lot like him. You don't look as old, though."

Piccolo grit his teeth. His chipper voice was grating, to his ears. He didn't think one person could be that damn excited over anything.

"Piccolo's kind of a funny name. Are you named after the instrument, or is it the other way around?"

That was it. "SHUT UP," he yelled.

Goku stepped back, at the outburst. "Hey, you can hear me! I was beginning to think you were deaf, or something."

Piccolo groaned. Ignoring him didn't work. Yelling at him didn't work. Maybe if he just indulged him in conversation a little bit, he'd be satisfied enough to leave him alone.

"So, how long have you been here?"

"A year."

"Neat! You living here, at the lookout?"

"No."

"You're not? Well, where are ya?"

"Wherever I'm at."

"You mean you don't even got a house?"

"I don't need one."

Goku's eyebrows furrowed. He put his finger on his chin, as he was thinking about something. Piccolo watched him out of the corner of his eye. He thought he was about to hurt himself, with all of that thinking.

His eyes widened, and a big grin formed on his face. "Hey, how about you come live with me!"

Well, he certainly wasn't expecting that. Piccolo nearly face-faulted. He had to be joking. No one invited a total stranger to stay at their house out of the blue, like that.

"Hey, quit it with that face! It'll be fun! We've got plenty of room, back at my house!"

He was actually serious. He was looking down at him with a big grin on his face, waiting for an answer. Of course, he was going to say no. He didn't need the extra help with anything.

"Goku, I think that's a splendid idea," Kami said, as he walked up behind him. Piccolo glared at him, as a silent warning to stay out of this. "It will be good, for the both of you."

"You think so? Awesome!" He started pulling on Piccolo's arm, trying to get him up. "C'mon! Let's get going!"

Piccolo snatched his arm back, and snarled, still glaring at Kami. He winked at him, before he went back over to Mr. Popo.

He looked back at Goku. He hoped on top of a yellow cloud, and sat down, with his legs crossed. He waved at him, enthusiastically. It was clear he wasn't going to leave, unless he went with him.

Piccolo groaned, and stood up, going over to Goku.

"Ya need a lift, there? You can hop on Nimbus, if you need one."

"Just fly, and I'll follow," he mumbled, under his breath.

"Okay! See ya, Kami! See ya, Mr. Popo! Let's go, Nimbus!" Goku took off on Nimbus, into the sky. Piccolo powered up, and followed him, keeping his arms crossed.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again, everyone! Yeah, updates are never going to be this frequent again, but I like having a bit of extra material live, from the start. This will stick with Saturday uploads, unless there's something that comes up.

As usual, all comments and feedback are greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

Piccolo had been flying behind Goku for what felt like hours. He was beginning to feel a little fatigued. How far away was his house, anyway? They had passed over three cities, below, and didn't make a single stop. They were passing above a large forest, and the scenery was becoming monotonous. However, anytime he tried to tune out everything and mindlessly fly, Goku would always start yammering on about something, to him.

"So, what's it like being related to Kami? It's gotta be weird, to be so close to the guardian of Earth."

"We've never been close," Piccolo said.

"Really? Huh. I guess it's a no brainer, as to why he's never mentioned you!"

Piccolo rolled his eyes.

"Hey, we're here!" Goku pointed to the ground. There was a small house with a chimney sitting in a small clearing, surrounded by wildlife and right next to the mountains. Goku flew down towards the ground, on nimbus, and Piccolo quickly followed.

He looked around. He wasn't expecting them to be living out in the middle of nowhere. He thought most humans had migrated into cities, by this point. It was scenic, to be sure, but the small house was the only sign of civilization that he could see. There was a small pile of firewood, a well, and a dirt road leading up to the house. They didn't even have a vehicle.

"I lived out here with my grandpa, when I was a kid. I moved back, when I grew up and finished my training." Goku put his hands on his hips, and looked around. He sighed, wistfully. "This place always brings back a lot of memories."

Goku grabbed Piccolo's arm, and started dragging him to the door. "Come on! I'll give you the tour!" Piccolo pulled his arm away, and continued to follow him. He'd indulge him, for now; the first chance he got, he'd run away.

Goku opened the door, taking off his shoes with his feet. He kicked them against the wall.

"The old house we used to live in is out back. Chi-Chi said we could move here, as long as we got a bigger place. Her dad helped build everything."

The place was cozy, to be sure. The kitchen and parlor were together, in one clump. There wasn't a lot of technology, either. The stoves and cooking appliances were the most advanced tech, in the house. Piccolo was beginning to wonder how closed off this guy was, from the rest of the world. It would explain his attitude, to be sure.

What caught his eyes were the pictures, sitting on the fireplace. One had who he assumed was a young Goku, standing with an old man and a bald kid. The other one was he, standing with a group of young men, giving thumbs up. The last was of him laughing, as a short dark-haired woman was holding his arm. He was still so young, yet it seemed that he had already lived a full life. Piccolo crushed any feelings of jealousy that brought on. He couldn't change what had happened; he just had to deal with it.

He shut his eyes, and winced. Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched cry was echoing in the house. He hunched over, trying to shield his ears from the sound. What was that? It was unbearable, to his sensitive hearing.

He peeked an eye open, seeing Goku running towards the back of the house, and turning a corner near the end of the hallway. Eventually, the wailing began to subside. Piccolo exhaled, in relief, digging into his ear with his pinky finger. He could see Goku's shadow out of the corner of his eye. He was pacing around the room, holding something in his arms. His curiosity got the better of him, and he followed his steps.

He was actually stupefied, by what he saw. Goku was cradling a very tiny baby. His entire demeanor had seemed to change. He had a very serious expression on his face, as he looked down at the infant breathing on his chest. He was walking slowly around the nursery, with a slight bounce in his step. He wasn't exactly expecting that sort of demeanor to come from him.

The baby started nibbling on Goku's gi, soaking part of it in baby dribble. Goku pulled him up, holding him with his arms stretched out. "You hungry, little guy?" He held him, with one arm. "Let's go find your mommy, and let her know." The baby cooed and snuggled into Goku's arm.

Piccolo tilted his head, looking at the tiny infant. It was kind of freakish looking. The only hair it had was a little tuff underneath its hat. It was so chubby, too. Piccolo didn't realize Earth babies were so ugly.

He immediately regretted looking at it in the face, because it quickly stared at him, with its big dark eyes. Piccolo stared right back down at him. He didn't know what he was supposed to do.

"Oh, yeah! This is my son," Goku introduced. "His name is Gohan." He pointed at Piccolo, sitting Gohan upright, in his arms. "That's Piccolo – he's a friend!"

Gohan didn't look afraid of Piccolo, as he thought he might have been. He looked more curious, than anything else. He tilted his head to the side. He reached his chubby little hand out towards him, wanting to grab onto something of his.

Piccolo was starting to get a little uncomfortable. Reluctantly, he pointed two of his fingers at him, hoping that would make him satisfied. Gohan latched onto the fingers, shaking them up and down, not caring about the Namekian attached to them. His grip was surprisingly tight, for such a tiny creature. Piccolo flicked his wrist, shaking him off, when it got to be too unbearable. He rubbed his sore fingers, and turned away.

Gohan pointed and laughed, making him frown. His frown turned into a snarl, when Goku started joining in.

"You're getting pretty strong, already! Just like your old man, huh? Now, we better go find your mommy, and tell her you need something to eat. Sound good?" Gohan just laughed, and bounced up and down. Goku's eyes widened, as he tried to keep a stable grip on him. "I'll take that as a yes!" He walked passed Piccolo, and went out the back door of the house. He just stayed behind, unsure if he should follow him or not. From where he could stand, Piccolo could hear a conversation going on outside.

" _Chi-Chi? You out here_?"

" _Goku, there you are. How was the Lookout?_ "

" _It was great! Kami said the Dragon Balls wouldn't be ready for a couple months. Hey, Gohan's getting a little hungry. Mind fixing him something?_ "

" _Of course. You two can stay outside, for a little while – I'll whip up something, for both of you._ "

" _Okay! Thanks!_ "

Piccolo heard the backdoor open and shut, again, as light steps came from the kitchen. A lithe voice was humming and singing, while pots and pans were being shuffled around. He didn't know what he was supposed to do, so he just stood there, in the dark hallway, waiting for Goku to come back. He was sure he hadn't explained that he was in their home, and was certain that he'd cause a scene.

Shoes skid across the floor, and a loud thud sounded from the kitchen. There was a curse, as he heard them trying to get back up. The unsteady footsteps left the kitchen, heading straight for where Piccolo was standing. He shuffled himself up against a wall, hoping he wouldn't get noticed.

When they turned the corner, he discovered the footsteps belonged to a small dark-haired woman – the same one from the photograph, on the fireplace. Her hair was tied up in a tight bun, though her bangs were free, and two strips of hair flowed, beside her face. She was grimacing, mumbling to herself about something, and limped into the bathroom. She pulled out a plastic pack, massaged it with her hands, and placed it on her knee. She secured it there with some gauze, and quickly limped back out of the bathroom.

Right when Piccolo thought he was in the clear, he accidentally hit a picture on the wall. It fell down to the floor, making a loud thud. The woman stopped, and turned around, groaning about having to pick up the mess.

Instead, she saw Piccolo. Her face suddenly turned blue, and she screamed.

He covered his ears. Her wailing was even worse than the baby's. His mind repeated the phrase 'shut up' over and over, again.

The back door slammed open, and Goku came clobbering into the house, balancing Gohan in one arm. "Chi-Chi! What's wrong?"

She jumped behind him. "Goku! There's a monster in the house! Do something!"

Goku blinked. "Monster?" He looked up. "Oooh. That's not a monster. That's just Piccolo."

She peaked out from behind him. "Piccolo?"

"Yeah! He's related to Kami. I met him, while I was at the lookout. I thought I'd invite him, here!"

She was starting to look less afraid. "Oh." She kept staring at him, as Goku continued to talk. Piccolo was starting to get a little sick of being gawked at. This was why he never went out in public.

"Yeah. The guy doesn't even have a house, or anything. I asked Kami if he thought that he should come live with us, and he said yes!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Chi-Chi said, stepping in front of him. She put her hands on her hips. "You invited a total stranger to stay at our house? Were you planning on ever asking if I was okay with it?"

"Well, I figured you would be. He hasn't hurt anyone."

She pointed at him, poking his pecks. "Goku! For all we know, he could be a murderer, or a child snatcher! Why would you keep this from me?"

He held his hands up, defensively. "Oh, come on, Chi – he's related to Kami. He can't be that bad. I'm sure it'll be fine!"

She huffed. "It was still incredibly stupid and reckless, for you to try this."

Piccolo stood there, tapping his fingers on his forearm. He really didn't appreciate being talked about like this, while he was still standing there. Not once had any of them asked him how he felt about this arrangement.

"Look, you won't have to worry about that," Piccolo snapped, catching all of their attention. "Because I won't be staying here. A better question is this: why did you take Kami's word over my own? You never even let me answer."

Goku laughed, and scratched the back of his head. "I figured you had the same opinion! You did follow me here, after all. You could have just said no."

He was about to retort, but stopped himself. Unfortunately, he had a point.

"Come on! It'll be fun! At least stick around, for a little while."

Piccolo had a feeling that Goku was going to keep pestering him about it, even if he said no. Again, he had that stupid grin on his face. He even raised his eyebrows, a few times.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"Awesome!"

The conversation came to an abrupt halt, when Goku's stomach began to rumble. He looked down at himself, in surprise, and laughed, awkwardly. "Maybe we better get something to eat, first." He gently tossed Gohan into the air, catching him with ease. "You gotta still be hungry, right?" Gohan just laughed and giggled.

"You boys go sit down," Chi-Chi said, with a sigh. She was holding her head in her hands. "I'll get something cooked up."

"Thanks!" Goku took Gohan, and went into the parlor.

Chi-Chi turned her attention to Piccolo. She put her hands on her hips. "Look here, mister. Even though Goku trusts you, it doesn't mean you'll get to do what you want. I frankly don't care if you're related to Kami. If you're planning on trying something funny, I'll kick you out, myself. " She stood on her toes, trying to get in his face. "And if you even think of hurting a single hair on my little Gohan's head, you'll wish you were never born." She spun on her heel, and marched out of the hallway.

Piccolo groaned, under his breath. "Just great…"

* * *

"Hey, Piccolo – you're not eating?"

Piccolo sighed, right as he lowered his hand from the front door handle. There went his plans to weasel his way out of this. He turned around. Goku was at the dining room table, tilting his head to the side.

"That won't be necessary."

"What do you mean?"

Was this idiot ever going to take a hint? "I don't need to eat."

"Sure, you do! Chi-Chi makes some of the best grub, around! You totally should!"

What he smelled was pleasant, but he didn't need to eat. His kind literally only needed water to survive. He had only ever eaten a few times, in his life. Even during the dinners with the Saiyans, he had left his plate alone. "I appreciate the offer, but I'll pass."

Goku pushed himself out of his chair. "Oh, quit being so stubborn!" He put his hand on his shoulder, pushing him down, slightly. "You're staying here, aren't you? The least we can do is feed you, while you're here."

It was becoming very clear to Piccolo that Goku was not the kind of guy to take 'no' for an answer. Maybe if he did this once to satisfy him, he wouldn't have to do it, again. He huffed, and walked over to the dining room table, sitting down across from Goku. He was tuning out whatever he was rambling on about, now.

Chi-Chi came up the table, laying down plates of food. "Alright. Here you boys are," she said, in a tired tone. There were huge portions of rice, noodles, and fish placed on the table, along with a large plate of steaming vegetables. He didn't understand how this was only supposed to be for four people. He glanced around the room, looking for any other people he might have missed.

Goku clapped his hands together, his mouth watering as he looked at the entrees. "Thanks, Chi-Chi! It looks delicious!"

Chi-Chi held her cheek, and bashfully looked away. "Oh, Goku…"

He leaned over to his son. "What do you think, Gohan? You ready to dig in?" Gohan jumped in his high chair and laughed.

Chi-Chi sat a small plate of diced vegetables and meat on the chair's tray table. She quickly ran over to her side of the table, and sat down, placing her napkin in her lap.

Goku immediately grabbed an entire plate, and shoveled most of its contents onto his. He repeated this with the rest of the entrees on the table. At one point, Piccolo stopped being awed, by how much food was going on his plate. It started getting too ridiculous. Even the Saiyans ate less than he did.

Then, he started scarfing down his meal, practically inhaling all of the food. He was being obnoxious with it, as well; bits of partially chewed food were flying around him, and onto the floor. It was kind of disgusting, actually. Piccolo eventually had to avert his eyes, from the sight.

When he did, he saw that Chi-Chi was giving him a dirty look. She glanced at the food, then down below him, at his empty plate. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and reluctantly grabbed one of the entrees, putting a bit of the food onto his plate, until she finally stopped mean-mugging him.

He stuck a fork into the fish, and popped it into his mouth. His eyes widened, a bit. He quickly scooped up another bite, as if to make sure his taste buds weren't tricking him. For as loud as that woman was, she certainly could cook. Without any other coercion, he finished his plate. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Chi-Chi smirking, as she ate.

"No, Gohan! That doesn't go on your head!"

Gohan had put a handful of fish on his head. He was smiling, as he kicked his legs on his high chair.

"Goku, please tell your son that doesn't go there."

Goku scarfed down another mound of food, and hit his chest, before sighing. He looked at Chi-Chi. "Sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you." She gestured towards their son, who was still grinning.

Goku grabbed a napkin, and wiped the fish off of his head. "Hey – food doesn't go there, little guy." He pointed at his mouth. "It goes there. Remember?"

Gohan blinked at his father. He looked down at his food, grabbed a fistful of it, and put it in his mouth. Bits of fish stuck to his cheeks and chin, but he chewed and swallowed.

Goku wiped the food off of his face, and put it into his hands. Gohan looked down at it for a moment, curiously. He looked as if he was about to shovel it into his mouth. Instead, he tossed the glob across the table.

It landed with a wet smack right on Piccolo's cheek. Any pleasure from the dinner died, right on the spot. As he slowly pushed the food off of his face, the room was completely silent. Goku and Chi-Chi glanced at each other, not sure what was going to happen next.

The silence was broken when Gohan started laughing, and clapping his hands.

Piccolo clenched his fist. "DAMMIT, YOU BRAT," he shouted, glaring and snarling at the infant.

Gohan immediately stopped laughing. As he stared at his grimace, his lower lip puffed out and trembled. He began wailing, loudly.

Chi-Chi immediately jumped out of her chair, picked her son up and cradling him away from Piccolo. "How dare you talk to my baby, that way, you inconsiderate brute! Get away from him!" She rocked him, gently. "It's okay, Gohan! You're okay! Mommy's here!"

Piccolo pushed himself out of his chair, and stormed out of the house. He powered up and flew away from Mt Paozu, with his arms crossed and his teeth clenched.

Why did he even think to humor them? This was going to happen; it always did, with these people. Of course, these Earthlings wouldn't be any different from the rest of them. He didn't know why he even wasted his time, or let that idiot talk him into staying? He had some choice words for Kami, the next time he saw him.

"Hey, wait!"

He shut his eyes, and powered up further, hoping to get away from that voice. Instead, he was stopped right in his tracks, when Goku flew in front of him, on that cloud.

"How come you left?"

Piccolo nearly fell out of the sky, right there. Was he that obtuse? "It's clear that the rest of your family doesn't want me around." He tried to fly away again, but Goku quickly caught up with him.

"What, Chi-Chi? She didn't really mean, what she said. She was just worried about you hurting Gohan. She gets like that with me, too – it's not about you."

"If she sees me as enough of a threat to your brat, then why should I stick around?"

The look on Goku's face became more serious. "You don't have anywhere else to go. We can't kick you out, like that."

So he was a guest purely out of pity. He rolled his eyes. "I've managed just fine on my own, for this long. I don't need anyone else's help."

Goku blinked, as he stared at him. He looked completely confused, as to what he was saying. "No one should be without a home. My grampa always told me that."

Piccolo turned around and crossed his arms, hoping he'd get the message and leave. He could still feel him staring, behind him.

"Well… if you ever change your mind, you know where to find us." He heard him whoosh off on the flying cloud. Piccolo glanced over his shoulder, watching him disappear over the horizon.

He scoffed. At least he left, but that idiot was still a fool for getting his hopes up, like that. He meant what he had said, before. He had survived his entire life on his own; he was more than able to continue to do so, for the rest of his days.

Piccolo landed on a small plateau, crossed his legs and arms, and shut his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey! I hope you've been having a fantastic week. Don't really have much to say about this week's update, so here you go. Enjoy!

* * *

Gohan hit the yellow marker against the paper three more times, before setting it down on the floor. The page was covered in yellow scribbles, and the marker nib was sunken into its barrel.

Chi-Chi picked up the paper, and gasped. "What a good job, Gohan! You're a little artist!" She grabbed another piece of blank paper next to her, and put it in front of him. She uncapped a blue marker, and handed it to him. "You should do another one, in blue!"

Gohan went back to stabbing the paper, with the marker, babbling and singing while doing so.

"Goku," Chi-Chi said. "We should all go out for a walk tonight. Right after dinner. What do you think?"

She didn't get a response, at first. She looked up. Goku was sitting with his arms crossed, staring off into space. That was really unlike him.

"Goku?"

He blinked, and shook his head slightly. "Huh? Oh. Hey, Chi-Chi. What did you want?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course I am. How come you asked?"

"You were spacing out, just now. Do you have something on your mind?"

"Oh. Yeah, no. I'm fine." He got down out of the chair, and crawled over to Gohan. "Hey, buddy. What cha' drawing?"

Gohan dropped the marker onto the carpet, and tried to hand the piece of paper to his father.

He held it up. "Wow, Gohan! That's really good!" He ruffled his hair, making him giggle. "I'm so proud of you!"

Chi-Chi put the cap back on the blue marker, and laid down another sheet of paper. She set down the markers in front of him. "Show your daddy how you've been drawing!"

Gohan looked over the markers, as if he was trying to find the best one, for the job. His eyes lit up, when he saw one sitting in the middle. He picked it up, and showed it to his mother.

"You want to make something green!" She quickly uncapped the marker, and handed it back to her son. "Have at it, sweetie."

Gohan stuck out his lower lip. His eyebrows furrowed, in determination. He plopped the marker nib on the paper, and started scribbling all over the paper. Goku and Chi-Chi watched him, while he did so. They were picking up on patterns, in his lines. He was drawing a lot of triangles, on the paper. He dropped the marker on the paper, when he was done.

"You done, little guy," Goku asked. He picked up the paper, and showed it to Chi-Chi.

"Oh, it's so good! You're such a talented little man!"

Gohan started making noises, trying to get his parents attention. They put down the paper, for a moment.

"Yes, Gohan? What is it?"

He pointed at the picture, while looking around the room. Goku and Chi-Chi stared at him, trying to figure out what he was trying to say. He raised his hand in the air, while pointing at his drawing. Goku leaned into the picture, lifting a finger to his chin.

Then, he suddenly got it.

"Is he looking for Piccolo?"

"Goku, don't be ridiculous," Chi-Chi said, waving her hand in dismissal. "Why would Gohan want to see that delinquent? Especially after he scared him, like that."

He wasn't convinced. He looked back at his son. "Are you looking for Piccolo, buddy?"

His eyes lit up, with recognition. He pointed at the drawing, fidgeting around more.

Chi-Chi blinked. "W-What?" She picked up her son, holding him on her lap. "No, no, sweetie. You won't have to worry about that brute, again. Who knows what kind of a bad influence he would be, on you."

Goku looked back out the window. "I hope he's at least doing okay."

"Goku, not you, too! He's a grown man, isn't he? He can take care of himself."

"Still. No one should have to live on their own, like that."

"Well, if you're so worried about him, then go check up on him."

Goku stood up. "Great idea! I'll be back in a bit!" He ran outside of the house, called for Nimbus, and flew off.

Chi-Chi shook her head, and looked at Gohan. She sighed. "I don't get your father sometimes …" Gohan only blinked at her.

* * *

Piccolo shot out towards his opponent, slashing him with his claws. He turned around and kicked his other adversary, sending him flying into a pile of rubble. He reacted just in time to catch the former's fist. He dodged and blocked his every attack. He extended his arm behind him to do the same with the latter.

He suddenly pulled his hands back, and pushed his palms outwards, sending his opponents both flying away from him. Before they could break their falls, he stretched his arms out and grabbed them, throwing them both into the mud at once. The ground shook violently from the impact.

Piccolo lowered himself onto the ground. He sat with his legs and arms crossed, focusing his energy into his body. His shadow clones disappeared from the craters they created, and fused with him, once again.

He hated being this powerful. He didn't have an equal anywhere on Earth. The only way he could get a decent fight out of anyone is if he fought himself. It only made him feel more detached. It was another reason he believed he was destined to be alone.

"Wow! That's so cool!"

He turned around and looked up. He groaned, as his eyes narrowed. Now, he wished that were the case.

Goku jumped off of Nimbus, and ran towards him. "How did you do that?! The only person I've seen do that is Tien. Wow, you must be strong! I'm getting excited!" He crouched down, and started stretching his legs, doing two counts per leg before switching.

"What are you doing," he said, exasperatedly.

Goku jumped up, and took a fighting stance. "Let's spar! I wanna see your full power!"

Piccolo laughed. "You wouldn't stand a chance, so don't even bother."

He hunched over, clenching his fists and jumping in place. "Aww! But I wanna see how strong you are! Come on! Please?"

This might not be that bad of an idea. He could get some cheap fun, and beat that insufferable grin off of his face. Maybe he'd take a hint and leave him alone.

"Alright. Just know I won't be going easy on you."

"I wouldn't want anything less!"

They both took a fighting stance. Piccolo stared at Goku, sizing him up. In seconds, his entire demeanor had changed. He was glowering at him, with a small pout. His form was unique, as well. He was actually getting intrigued, as loathed as he was to admit it.

Piccolo charged him first, thinking it would be a clean hit or dodge. Instead, to his surprise, Goku charged him right back. They clashed right in the middle, elbow to elbow. Piccolo clenched his teeth, pushing against him. He was met with an equal force, as his feet sunk into the ground.

He threw rapid punches in his direction. Goku responded with his own rapid set of punches, quickly ducking and dodging his blows. Piccolo landed one shot in his abdomen, but it was quickly shaken off, as he landed a hit on his cheek. Piccolo snarled. He had expected this to be a quick fight, but it was growing tenser with every second.

With quick reflexes, Piccolo managed to grab both of his wrists, stopping his punches. Then, Goku jumped into the air and kicked him in the face, promptly freeing himself. Piccolo stretched out his arm, and grabbed Goku by his hair, tossing him up and down like a ragdoll, and throwing him into a pile of fallen rubble.

Piccolo pulled his arm back, rubbing his wrist. That admittedly felt good. He got a decent fight, and a cathartic beat down in one fight. It was honestly worth it.

"Behind you!"

Suddenly, he was kicked in his neck, knocking him off of his feet. His ankle was grabbed. Before he could see what was happening, he was spun around in a circle and tossed away.

Piccolo stopped himself in mid-air. How was that little bugger still standing? He should have been minced meat.

"Phew," Goku said, while wiping his forehead. "That was tense. Haven't had a fight like that, in a while. But it was fun, too! You're really strong! We should do it again, sometime!"

This idiot definitely had a few screws loose. Was he a masochist, or something? Did he get off on getting his ass kicked?

However, though he'd never say it out loud, he actually found that exciting. It was the first time since his return to Earth that he had felt invigorated. Motivated, even. For once, he didn't feel numbness or emptiness. He felt as if he had gained something.

Piccolo crossed his arms and lowered himself to the ground. Goku put his hands on his hips. "Hey, if you want, we can make this a thing. I can stop by every week and we can do some training, together. Or we can just find each other, when we get that urge to fight. Whatever works for you will work for me!"

"What's in it for you?" This sounded too accommodating. There had to be a catch.

"You know, I haven't had a lot of time to go out and train, for a while – it's kind of hard work to go out and find my friends, when I have Gohan and Chi-Chi to worry about. And they're always busy, when I try. I don't have to worry about that, with you! I get a training partner and I get to get stronger!"

Talk about a backhanded compliment. Still, it sounded appealing. He wouldn't be so bored, all the time, and he would have something to get himself up every day. He really didn't have anything to lose. If it started going south, he'd put an end to it.

He sighed. "Sure."

"Awesome! I won't let you down! So, uh, when do you wanna meet, again?"

"Just come by, when you get the chance."

"Okay! See you tomorrow!" Goku yelled for Nimbus and flew away. He waved at him, as he went out of sight.

Piccolo stood there for a few moments, watching the train that the cloud was leaving behind. When he realized what he had just agreed to, he closed his eyes and groaned.

Why was he letting himself get roped into this crap?


	4. Chapter 4

_Malice. Hate. Cruelty. Tenacity. Chaos. A need for vengeance. That was all he felt. He writhed in his confinement, kicking and hitting at anything he could touch. It was too much for one being to handle. Try as he might, though, he could not be freed. He was unable to run, hide, or scream; he could only feel._

 _A voice spoke to him, in his head. "_ _ **This is your destiny. You must finish what I started. He did this to us. He made us do this. You must bring the self-righteous, softhearted traitor to his knees. Secure our legacy. You are born for this. Go now, my son. Avenge me.**_ _"_

 _The barrier broke._

 _Light blinded him. A loud scream pierced the air. Then, a deathly silence._

 _Sitting in the middle of a forest was a broken eggshell. A tiny infant sat inside, covered in slime and muck. He shivered, huddled in a fetal position. No one there to swaddle him. No one there to care for him, and shower him with love. A helpless baby was abandoned, orphaned in the middle of the wilderness._

 _The only thing there for him was a purpose: vengeance._

 _His eyes opened. He smirked, and stood up with ease. He broke through the rest of his shell, and walked into the forest. Here would be where he spent his days. He would build up strength, and surpass his late father. He knew all he needed to, in order to survive and thrive – all he had now was time._

 _Kami's days were numbered._

Piccolo flinched forward, blinking his eyes open again. The moonlight in the sky shone onto his back. He shook his head, as he grinded his teeth. It was going to be another night of being kept up by memories of the past. No matter how hard he tried to block them out, they kept coming back.

He ran a hand down his face. He wanted so desperately to move on. He had paid his dues: not just his dues, but his father's dues, as well. Why couldn't he finally have peace? He didn't know what else he could do, to make it stop.

He threw his arms down to the side, flaring his energy in one short burst. The ground was leveled beneath him, and a cloud of dust shot into the air. Debris rained down from the sky, hitting the dirt below.

He breathed heavily, as sweat clung to his forehead. Throwing a tantrum like a child was not going to make this any better. He would figure it out, in the morning. He closed his eyes, and focused within himself, beginning a meditation.

That afternoon, Goku stopped by for yet another sparring session. Piccolo had his back hunched over, and lazily blocked his blows. He barely even bothered to fight back. The sleepless nights were beginning to take their toll on his body.

The spar didn't last long before Goku took a step backwards. "You okay? You seem a little off."

Piccolo huffed. "I'm fine." He tried to take another stance. "Come at me."

Goku tilted his head to the side. "I don't think you are. When was the last time you slept?"

"That's none of your business. Unless you're going to keep fighting, you might as well leave."

"I know you're all independent and stuff, but I'm getting kind of worried about you. You sure you're doing okay out here on your own like this?"

"DAMMIT, I TOLD YOU I'M FINE!"

Piccolo lunged towards him, ready to punch Goku in his stupid face. He blocked his fist with one arm. Goku quickly crouched down and swung his leg underneath Piccolo, knocking him off of his feet. He landed on his back with a loud thud. He grimaced, as he tried to sit up, again.

"Hey. I talked to Chi-Chi, a few days ago. I told her about what we were doing, and everything." Oh great. "She said she'd forget about what happened at dinner that one time, and let you stay with us, for a while."

Piccolo shook his head. "How many times do I have to say it before it gets into that thick skull of yours? I'm fine, on my own. Stop trying to help me. I. Don't. Need. It."

Goku blinked, and he frowned. He sat down, in front of him. "My grampa used to tell me a story, when I was a kid. An old timer went out on a walk and found a baby abandoned, in the middle of a forest. Its parents weren't anywhere to be seen; they didn't even leave a note. It fought him hard, and it didn't want anything to do with him. Old-timer didn't give up, though: he didn't want to let it fend for itself. As time passed, the baby grew older and became more accepting of the old timer. But it still had that rebellion streak in him that wouldn't go away.

"Then, something really bad happened. It nearly died, but was saved by the old-timer. That must've been enough to snap him out of it. 'Cause after that, it was a good little baby and lived just as the old-timer wanted it to. They were happy living together, after that. I was thinking about that story again a couple days ago, and it made me think of you."

"I suppose I should be thankful that you've compared me to an infant."

"No, it's not that. I just… I don't like knowing that someone's out on their own while knowing I can do something about it. You don't deserve that."

Piccolo blinked, not believing what he had just heard. No one ever stuck their neck out for someone, like that: not unless they wanted to get something in return. Decades of being kissed up to by selfish masters made him cynical to these phrases.

He looked at Goku. He didn't look like he was kidding: he wasn't even sure he was capable of lying or sarcasm. Piccolo knew that he had to be genuine. If he weren't, he would have probably given up, already.

" _What your dad did might have been awful, but you aren't him... You're a good person._ "

He closed his eyes, as Bulma's words rung in his ears. He exhaled. He wanted a better life. He wanted to put his past to rest.

Maybe this was fate pointing him in the right direction.

"Fine. I'll… come live with you."

Goku's face lit up, and he smiled. "You will?! Cool! We can go right now!" He jumped up, and called for Nimbus, who was flying down, in no time. "What made you change your mind?"

"A feeling."

"Really? Well, I'll make sure you won't regret it!"

The two flew back to Mt. Paozu, side by side. It was actually a quiet flight, this time around. Maybe Goku wasn't trying to push his luck, now that he had actually gotten Piccolo to come along with him. Piccolo's eyes drooped as they reached their destination, but he tried to stay awake as best as he could.

Thankfully, the flight ended before that happened. Piccolo landed on the ground with a graceful thud. Goku jumped off of Nimbus, but landed on his face. He quickly jumped back up, and dusted himself off.

As soon as he got back up, Chi-Chi came out, closing the door quietly behind her. She had a warm smile on her face. When she glanced at Piccolo, it faltered slightly. She and Goku looked at each other. He nodded at her, and gestured towards Piccolo. Finally, she straightened her back, and went up to him.

"So," she said. "After hearing what Goku explained to me, I am willing to give you another chance. If you learn to behave yourself and live by our rules, then you can stay here. I believe that this is fair. What about you?"

He breathed out, and nodded.

"Then I will let you stay."

"Yes!" Goku put his hands together. "Thank you so much, Chi-Chi! Can I show him where he's gonna sleep?"

"Go ahead. But keep your voices down – Gohan's asleep."

Goku covered his mouth, in embarrassment. "Sorry!" He grabbed Piccolo by his arm. "Come on," he whispered. "We fixed up an extra room, for you!" He dragged him into the house, and back into the hallway.

He quickly opened a door, and flicked on a light, inside. Goku pushed Piccolo into the room, coming in behind him. It was small, with a bed and a dresser on each end of it. To anyone else, this might have seemed bare.

To Piccolo, it was the first proper room he had ever gotten.

"I hope you like it. If you need anything, come find me or Chi-Chi."

"I think I'll manage," he said, quietly. He was still a bit taken aback, by all of this.

"Cool! Well, you know where we are! Have fun!" He ran out of the room, without another word.

Piccolo walked up to the bed, and pressed his hand on it. The mattress was soft, and springy. As he lifted his hand up, it quickly reformed its shape. He glanced around, making sure that no one was watching.

He then climbed onto it, crawling to the bed frame. He wasn't used to moving on this material and nearly fell off. However, he quickly regained his balance and kept a steady movement. He repeated his earlier test on the pillows, at the end of the bed. They were even softer than the mattress, and the fabric was incredibly pleasant to touch.

He never had a bed, before. Growing up in the wild, he would only huddle up in small caves. He hadn't even been that lucky, when he was stuck in the Dragon Ball; it was how he learned to sleep upright. This was an entirely new experience, for him.

He hadn't even been asked for a 'thank you', yet. Goku had left, before he even thought to say it.

His eyelids drooped, once again. He was more fatigued than he realized. He slowly lied down on his side, setting his head on the pillows. The mattress fitted around him, coaxing him to sleep. His mind drifted off, his eyes slid shut, and he finally succumbed to slumber.

It was the first true rest he had ever had in his life.


	5. Chapter 5

When Piccolo woke up the following day, he felt refreshed. He didn't feel tired or fatigued, and he hadn't been woken up once. From the window, he could see the sun was shining. There marked another first – the first time he ever managed to sleep through the entire night.

He sat up and stretched his neck, side to side. He stood up, and went to the front of the house. When he got there, no one was there. There was a mess in the kitchen, but no one there to cause it.

The back door swung open. Chi-Chi was carrying a basket of vegetables. She saw Piccolo, and frowned, slightly. "Nice of you to finally join us. You slept like a log all the way through lunch. I hope you got your beauty rest."

Piccolo looked at the clock – it was four in the afternoon.

He slept even better than he thought.

Chi-Chi went to the sink, and started washing the veggies. She glanced behind her. "There are leftovers in the fridge, but don't gorge yourself, now: dinner'll be on the table soon." He just stood there, not sure what he was supposed to say to that. He was slowly beginning to realize how inept he was with human interaction.

She looked back at him, again. "If you're just going to stand there, then at least come and help me prepare some of this."

He sighed. This woman was pushy. However, she was letting him stay here free. Maybe he should try helping. It was better than doing nothing. He shook his head. Not even a day here, and he was already out of his mind.

He walked up next to here. "What do you want?"

She looked up at him, surprised. "Oh god, not even Goku takes me up on that…" She suddenly perked up. "Well, just dry off the veggies over there, once I finish washing them. Put them in the big bowl on the counter over there, when you're done. We'll work from there."

He grunted, and moved to the other side of her.

"Have you washed your hands?"

He sighed, and pushed her out of the way of the sink.

Soon, Piccolo and Chi-Chi had a steady rhythm. He learned just when she would finish washing a vegetable, and took it from her without a delay. He learned how long it needed to be dried before the next one came along. They were an efficient team, and by the time they noticed, the workload was already done.

Chi-Chi grabbed the bowl of vegetables. She stumbled backwards, before gaining her footing, again. "Well, thank you for helping out! I really appreciated it. You can go do something else – I'll take it from here."

Piccolo nodded. Once Chi-Chi went back to preparing the food, he didn't know what to do, next. He turned around and went into the parlor, deciding to have a seat. He listened to her working in the kitchen. Pots and pans were clinking against each other, and she hummed to herself. Oddly, he didn't find it annoying. He found it almost… pleasant.

Maybe he could get used to this.

The front door slammed open, making him jump. "We're back!"

And he spoke too soon.

Goku kicked the door closed, carrying a giant fish in one arm and Gohan in the other. Gohan was fast asleep, on his shoulder.

"I got the fish, Chi-Chi! Where do you want it?"

"Just put it on the counter, Goku."

He went into the kitchen to deliver his bounty. He put the fish down on the counter. Now that both of his arms were free, he held his son with both. "Gohan fell asleep, on the way back, but he had fun. You should have seen him. He really wanted to go after a bird, so we chased it down on Nimbus!"

"Oh, I wish I could have! Next time you take Gohan out, I'm coming with you!" She took Gohan from him. "I trust that he behave himself."

"Yeah, he was really good. I think he got scared, seeing me fish, but he was okay once I came back up, again."

"We'll I'm glad. Dinner's still going to be a while, so you can go do something else, for a while."

"Thanks, Chi-Chi!" He kissed her on the cheek, before running back to the parlor, making a b-line for the front door.

Piccolo still hadn't gotten a handle on what Goku's relationship with his wife was, or what to think about it. They weren't really physical or amorous, like a lot of couples he had come across in his years. Of course, most of the couples he came across were lovesick morons, but he had come to expect something like that with every couple: hell, even Bulma's affair with Vegeta had started like that. He had yet to see anything like that between Goku and Chi-Chi. If he hadn't known, he would have just assumed they were friends. It was odd, to say the least.

As Goku ran through the parlor, he finally saw Piccolo. "Hey, you're up! I was beginning to think you died, or something. You must've been really tired!"

"He actually helped me with cleaning the vegetables, earlier," Chi-Chi yelled from the kitchen.

"He did?! That's great! Didn't think you'd adjust to all of this that quickly, did you, Piccolo?"

He huffed out a sigh. "Shut up," he muttered.

Goku laughed. "You wanna go do some training? We can work our appetites up for dinner, and everything. Plus, with all that sleeping you're doing, you should be at your best!"

He rolled his eyes, but stood up. "You lead the way."

"Cool! Let's go!"

* * *

Chi-Chi finished up the food, emptying the last of the rice into a bowl. She quickly set them out on the table, careful to leave enough space for both her and Goku. As she finished arranging them, she looked over her handiwork and smiled. She peaked her head out of the window. "Goku! Dinner's ready! It's time to eat!"

As she looked over the table, again, she groaned. She frantically moved to rearrange everything, yet again. She had forgotten to leave a third space open, for Piccolo.

She stopped, when she heard babbling, behind her. Gohan sat upright, and rubbed his eyes with his fist. She immediately ran over to him, and cradled him. Gohan snuggled into his mom, before glancing around.

"Don't worry, sweetie," she cooed. "Daddy just went out for a little walk. He'll be back, in no time, no doubt."

There was talking from outside. " _Chi-Chi… can you come outside?_ "

"Oh, that's him now! Let's go say hi to him!"

Chi-Chi opened the door, with a smile on her face and her eyes closed. "Dinner's on the table – go eat up!"

She opened her eyes and screamed, holding Gohan protectively to her chest.

Goku laughed, awkwardly. One of his eyes was shut, and the other was only half-open. His gi was tattered, and there were bruises all over his body. He wasn't even standing up – he was being carried by a similarly injured Piccolo under his arm. "Hey, Chi… how's it going?"

Chi-Chi immediately snatched him up, dragging him along by his ear. Goku winced and yelled in pain, as he was taken into the house.

"C-can I at least get something to eat?"

"You keep this up, and you'll be cooking your own meals from now on!"

Piccolo couldn't quite understand what he was seeing. The strongest being of this planet and a decent warrior, as he discovered from their session today, was being manhandled by a tiny woman. This threw another wrench in figuring out their marriage.

He'd leave them to their squabble – maybe he could get some meditation done, elsewhere.

"OH, NO YOU DON'T!"

Piccolo was quickly snatched by his ear, too. He gave a surprise yelp, in pain. Her grip was like a vice, and he felt as if she might tear his ear off. Chi-Chi dragged him back into the house. "You caused this mess, too; you have to face the consequences!"

* * *

Piccolo sat with his arms crossed, staring at the floor. Chi-Chi was treating his wounds from the fight, next to him. He tried to stand up and leave, but she slapped his arm, and pointed down. He snarled. This was humiliating.

He glanced next to him. Goku was looking down and pouting, in embarrassment. He was still reeling from the verbal lashing that Chi-Chi had given him. If he knew that this would finally get him to shut up, Piccolo would have done this a while ago.

"Well," Chi-Chi said. "It's clear that I can't trust you to be responsible, with your training. You can't go overboard, like that – it's not healthy."

"It was just one time," Goku whined. "We won't let it happen, again."

"I know you won't. You won't be doing any training for the rest of the month."

Goku got down on his knees. "WHAT?! You're kidding! Oh, come on! Please don't do this! I promise I'll be more careful next time!"

"I said no, and I mean it. If you want to be able to fight, again, you'll have to earn it."

Goku looked up at her with pleading eyes, but Chi-Chi shook her head. He slumped forward and sighed.

"The same goes for you, Piccolo."

Piccolo looked up at her, in shock. "Why are you trying to order me around?!"

"You live in my house, you live by my rules. If you don't like that, then you can leave."

Goku immediately stood up, and put his arm around him. "No, he'll listen! We both will! We swear it!" He laughed.

"I wasn't telling you, Goku – I was telling him."

"Y-yeah, but… I-I mean- I mean, he means," He stuttered over his words, for a moment. Then, he backed off, and scooted to the side.

Chi-Chi walked up to Piccolo, standing on her toes to get in his face. "Now, are you going to follow my rules, or will you leave?"

He had to admit that Chi-Chi had nerves of steel. Still, this presented him with a dilemma. He could go back out and live on his own, again. Then, he wouldn't be bossed around by a tiny woman or be annoyed by a loud, grinning idiot.

But then he'd be back to where he was, before. Maybe getting to a better place meant compromising on a few things.

He huffed out a sigh. "Fine. You won't hear about any training, from me."

"Then we won't have any more problems."

Piccolo resisted the urge to roll his eyes, when Goku sighed, in relief.

"Now, go get something to eat, before it gets cold."

"Alright!" Goku immediately sprinted, for the kitchen.

Chi-Chi shook her head and chuckled, as she watched him. Her expression became serious, as she looked at Piccolo. "I won't be this generous, next time."

"I figured," he muttered.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, all. Sorry for the lack of updates - I have been very busy with school ending, but now I have some freetime, again, to work on stuff. Thank you all, as usual, for all the love and support for this story, whether you've read A Thrilling Chase or not. Enjoy!

Quick disclaimer - some of this chapter is very inspired by a scene from Dragon Ball, and I think you'll know which one it is, when you read it.

* * *

Piccolo was up before anyone in the house was. He huffed, as he sat up in bed. He couldn't train, and even if he could, it was too early to deal with Goku's nonsense. So, he quietly left his room and stepped into the parlor. He took a spot on the couch, and quietly meditated.

He had been living with Goku's family for about a week. He still had a lot of things he had to get used to. First, their lives revolved entirely around the brat – once Gohan so much as whined, they dropped everything to help him. Second, everyone had to pull a little bit of weight, around the house. Piccolo had tried a few things, but he hadn't found a stable role in daily life; they had everything already covered. They were trying their best to make him feel involved (Goku was trying a little too hard, actually), but he still felt alienated. It was only one week, but it didn't give him hopes for a future living like this.

He shook his head. He was thinking too hard about this. He cleared his thoughts and commenced his meditation.

 _The young Piccolo walked through the barren forest alone with nothing on him but the clothes on his back. He was still far too weak; he hadn't even found his old powers, again. He would stand no chance against Kami, in this state. He foraged and scavenged through the forest, in search of anything that would help him survive. He had to find food, soon; it had been days since his last meal, and he was starving._

 _There was a light in the distance. It looked like a small home. Perfect._

 _He made his way to the small abode. He looked through the window – there was a small family inside. They were laughing with each other, inside. The child ran up to his father and hugged him tightly. The father responded in kind, picking up him and gently tossing him in the air._

 _It made him feel sick. A small twinge of jealously was felt in his gut, as well._

 _He ran back and threw a rock into the window, shattering the glass. It lured the family outside, as they searched for the disturbance. Piccolo snuck in through the back door. He quickly went through their cabinets and their fridge, looking for any bit of food he could eat, doing his best not to make a sound._

 _His load fumbled, in his arms, and a can fell on the floor, with a loud clank._

 _The man turned around, looking for its source. He snarled, when he saw Piccolo, and cocked his shotgun, pointing the barrel right in his direction._

 _Piccolo ran out the way he came, stuffing whatever he could down his shirt. He went as fast as his small legs could take him. Loud gunshots behind him only made him stumble faster. His breathing was harsh, and his heart was palpitating faster than it had, before. A bullet rushed right by his ear. He closed his eyes and held his ears, as he kept running._

 _A loud barking noise came up behind him. He glanced back – a dog was chasing after him. It was howling and growling at him, as saliva was dripping down from his mouth. Its teeth were sharp, as they clanked and gnashed together._

 _Piccolo tripped and fell into the dirt. The dog stopped a few feet away from him, growling. It scraped its paws in the soil, as it watched him turn over. Piccolo slowly backed away, but the dog walked forward with every backwards movement._

 _It pounced. Piccolo put his hands in the air and closed his eyes, bracing for impact._

 _A bright light flashed. The dog whimpered and whined. He stayed in the guarded position for several moments, but nothing came._

 _He opened his eyes. He stood up, to see what had happened. The dog was lying on the ground, writhing around and whimpering. It was very slowly limping away, back in the direction of the house. He could vaguely smell something burning. When the dog stood up for a moment, he caught a glimpse of his stomach – the fur there was burned off, leaving its skin burnt and red._

 _Piccolo looked down at his hands. So that was the power he had inside of him. If he could tap into it again and learn to control it, then it would be useful in his conquests._

 _He pushed his hands up to the sky, trying to concentrate his energy into his palms. He focused all of his energy into a single ball, and then…_

 _A bright light burst into the night sky. The trees shook, as the animals scattered to get away. It lasted for several seconds, before retracting back into Piccolo's hands._

 _He clenched his fists and grinned. This was perfect._

Piccolo's eyes opened. He groaned, and dug his nails into his forearm. He had never gotten flashes of the past like this, before. Why was he getting them, now? This had only started happening, after he had gotten back to Earth. If he knew why, maybe he could make them stop.

He stood up, and stormed out of the house. He quickly powered up and flew off. He needed some answers.

* * *

"I don't know what to tell you," Kami said, exasperatedly. "I have no idea what you're dealing with or what could have caused this."

"You've surely been feeling it to," Piccolo hissed. "Are you certain that you have no clue what's happening, to me?"

"I'm afraid I do not. I was not aware that this was happening, before you approached me about it."

He scoffed. "How lucky for you, then…"

"Piccolo, I wish to help you in some way. You are still the other half of my being, and your troubles are mine, as well. I realize I made a grave error in my judgment all those years ago, but I only wish to repay you, in some way."

"Unless you can find a way to make this stop, then you're of no use to me."

He ignored Kami's sigh, as he walked out of the room. He didn't know why he had wasted his time coming to him, for this. As always, talking to Kami was like talking to a brick wall. He went out onto the platform of the lookout, ready to make his way back to Mt. Paozu.

Kami phased in front of him, before he made it to the edge. Piccolo snarled, and stepped backwards. He hated it, when he did that.

"I do not wish for us to continue to quarrel and snipe at each other, like this. It is only making things worse, between us. I meant what I said, before: I wish to help you in any way that I can. Perhaps I can find a way to get to the bottom of your problem."

"Well? What is it?"

"The next time you have a flashback as you described, I want you to immediately flare your ki. I may be able to find the cause, if I see you immediately afterwards."

He huffed. He knew deep down the old man had his best interests, at heart. The bitterness over what had happened was preventing him from completely trusting him. Still, his desire to be rid of this overrided that, now. He supposed that he'd have to suck it up and deal with it.

"Fine. Now, if you'll excuse me." He walked past him, and jumped off of the edge of the lookout.

"Do say hello to Goku, for me," Kami yelled, as he went down.

Piccolo snarled, powered up, and flew back to Mt. Paozu.

* * *

The trip to the Lookout had lasted all day. The sun was already setting, by the time he returned to Goku's home. He shook his head. An entire day had been wasted, and he accomplished absolutely nothing. There wasn't even any indication that his situation would get better. He didn't even know why he still got his hopes up, anymore. He landed on the ground, with a soft thud, intending to go back inside and rest.

"Hey, you're back," Goku said. He was sitting on the porch, with Gohan in his lap. "We missed you, earlier. Where'd you go?"

"The Lookout," he said.

"Neat! How're Kami and Mr. Popo?"

"They're fine." He walked past Goku, wanting to go back inside.

"Hey, you wanna sit out here for a while?"

Gohan started babbling, pointing and pushing his hands out towards Piccolo. He pursed his lips together, glancing between the baby's gestures and the big grin on Goku's face. He sighed, and took a seat next to him, on the porch. It was getting harder for him to turn down requests, like this. Whatever reason it was for, he didn't like it.

Goku looked down and flexed his arm. "Man, I don't know how people can go without training for this long. And to think we've still got a few more weeks of this." He slumped down. "Maybe Chi-Chi had kind of a point, there. Heh."

Piccolo grunted. He couldn't argue with that; Goku had a bit of a one-track mind, when it came to training.

"You getting bored, too?"

"I don't spend all of my time thinking about fighting like you."

Goku laughed. "Yeah, I guess that'll do it!"

Piccolo felt something hitting his leg. When he looked down, he saw that Gohan was the one doing that. His wide eyes were staring and blinking at him. Piccolo just looked down at him. He didn't really know what he was supposed to do.

Gohan crawled over Goku's arm and leg, onto Piccolo's leg, and he plopped himself right in his lap. Piccolo leaned backwards, with his hands up. He grabbed a part of his cape, and covered himself with it, snuggling into his thigh. Piccolo just stayed frozen. He could feel his face growing warmer.

Goku chuckled. "He missed you, while you were gone. I should show you that picture he drew of you, a few weeks ago."

Piccolo gritted his teeth and folded his arms. He breathed out.

"So, what'd you go to the Lookout for?"

"I needed to speak with Kami."

"About what?"

"That's none of your business."

"Oh, come on. You can tell me!"

No, he really couldn't. That would require telling him about his past. He had a feeling that if he or Chi-Chi found out about it they'd kick him out. He was planning on taking it to the grave, with him: no one else was going to know the truth. He glared at Goku. "Let it go. I mean it."

Goku blinked. "Okay. If you ever do wanna talk about it, let me know."

The two sat in a comfortable silence, together, looking up at the night sky. The sky was clear of any clouds. The crescent moon shined dimly. As Piccolo continued to stare, he could see the stars twinkling above him. It was odd – he had lived on his own in the wilderness for much of his life, and yet he never took the time to look at the sky.

" _Goku, it's time for Gohan to go to bed!_ "

"I'm on my way!" Goku gingerly picked Gohan up from Piccolo's lap, and cradled him in his arms. Gohan unconsciously snuggled into his chest, sticking his thumb into his mouth. Goku smiled down at him, and gently kissed his head, before taking him inside.

Piccolo stayed on the porch, still looking up at the stars. He had been all over the universe: so many different planets and galaxies. He had seen some interesting sights, of that there was no doubt. Yet, nothing quite matched the tranquility and beauty of just staring up at the sky.

He couldn't believe it had taken him this long to notice it.


	7. Chapter 7

And we're back! I apologize for the long break in updates. I have had a terrible case of writer's block and had zero motivation for writing, in the past month. But, I've gained a bit of that mojo back. Thank you so much for your continued patience and understanding. Enjoy!

* * *

"Hey," Goku whispered. "Hey, Piccolo."

Piccolo grimaced, feeling his breath right on his ear. "What," he hissed.

"Do you wanna go out?"

Piccolo opened one eye to look at Goku. "What do you mean?"

"You know – go out. Leave the house. Go somewhere. You haven't left here once, this week."

"What does it matter, to you?"

"Well, we can go do something fun: go visit the city, try all the food, see something funny." He swayed back and forth, as he listed off everything.

He had to be joking. Why would he think he'd be interested in any of that? Even if he were, no one would go within arms distance of him. "No." He closed his eye, hoping to go back to his meditation.

The seat next to the couch caved in, and he sighed. Would he ever learn to take a hint? "Oh, come on! It'll be fun! Pretty please?"

He cringed. Was he really going to beg? As he thought about it, the more appealing it became. Maybe getting some fresh air would do him some good. Maybe this would get him to leave him alone, for a while. "Fine," he said, exasperatedly.

"Woohoo! Let's go!"

Goku and Piccolo left Mt. Paozu, heading out for West City. As usual, Goku was rambling on about unimportant things, which Piccolo just tuned out. Luckily, the trip didn't take long, and they were at their destination in no time.

Goku hopped off of Nimbus, and waved at it, as it flew away. "Well, we're here! What do you wanna do, first?"

"I don't care," Piccolo said.

He lifted his finger up to his chin, thinking about something. "It's been a while since I last came here… Oh yeah! We can go to Dream Land! Man, it's been forever since I last went there."

"What's that?"

"Oh, there are rides, and food, and shows, and a lot of fun stuff to do. Yeah, that's perfect! We should go there!" He started running off in one direction, before stopping. "Wait. Where was it, again?"

Piccolo put his hand on his face. This was going to be a long day.

Goku started asking strangers for directions but none of them proved to be very helpful. They only gave him confusing paths without being specific. Some named the streets and directions too quickly to follow and got mad when asked to repeat themselves. Piccolo was beginning to wonder if you had to be bad at giving directions to live in West City. A half-hour had passed, and they were no closer to getting to their destination.

"Aw man. I thought we'd be there, by now." Goku slumped his shoulders. He looked around, and pointed at a guy. "Maybe that guy knows the way?" The man was tall and skinny, wearing a jacket with a tall collar. He had sunglasses hanging low off of his nose. He was leaning against the wall, with his hands in the pocket of his jacket.

"You're certain about that."

"Yeah. It'll be fine."

"Then you can go talk to him, yourself."

"Okay. Sure." Goku jogged towards the guy, leaving Piccolo standing on the street curb. He asked him for directions. With half-lidded eyes, he nodded, and motioned for him to follow him into an alley, saying that he'd tell him, in there. Goku looked back at Piccolo and smiled, giving him thumbs up, as he followed him inside. Piccolo closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head.

A minute or so passed, and Piccolo contemplated going in there to check up on him; hopefully, he hadn't gotten into too much trouble. Before he could, Goku came running out, with a smile on his face. "I got the directions! He said we just gotta keep going straight and we'll be there in no time!"

"Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah! He was really nice, too. It was weird – he kept talking about medicine, but once we shook hands, he told me the way."

Piccolo glanced back at the alleyway. Hidden behind a corner, he could see the same man sitting on the ground, wincing and crying while holding a broken hand. Piccolo decided to leave well-enough alone, and didn't ask anymore questions. He wasn't sure Goku could give him a straight answer.

The pair continued down the street and, sure enough, they reached the entrance gate to Dream Land. The actual theme park was high in the sky, covered by a large dome. It reminded Piccolo a bit of the Lookout.

They walked up to the entrance, where a young woman was standing there, smiling with her eyes closed. "Tickets, please," she asked. Goku just walked past her through the turnstiles, not bothering to respond. She opened her eyes, and turned around. "Hey! I asked for your tickets!"

Goku looked back, in confusion. "What?"

The woman at the ticket stand blinked, and her eyes widened. "Are you Son Goku?!"

Goku looked even more confused. "Yeah?"

She clasped her hands together. "Oh, you won the World Martial Arts Tournament! You did so amazing in that last round, I could hardly believe it! You know, you can go right on in! It's on me!"

"Oh. Cool!" Goku kept going in, with Piccolo following behind him. He was a bit confused by that last interaction, but he wasn't sure that Goku fully understood that, either.

As they passed through security, one of the guards stopped Piccolo. "Sir, you're going to have to remove the costume."

Piccolo looked down at his outfit. He huffed out a loud sigh, and walked behind a pillar. He watched a few guests walk through security and singled out the first one that caught his eye. He closed his eyes and changed into an outfit matching his: sneakers, blue jeans, a purple long sleeved shirt with a yellow shirt that read "POSTBOY" on top of it, and a blue and white baseball cap. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and snarled. Human men had the worst taste in fashion.

He walked back out and up to the security guard. "Will this suffice," he spat.

"Yeah. Go right ahead in," said the guard, without even looking up.

Piccolo pushed through the rest of security and met up with Goku, at the exit.

"Hey, nice clothes," he said. "How'd you get changed, so fast?"

"Doesn't matter." He wasn't in the mood to explain his powers to him; he knew he'd start begging him to teach him it, too. His patience was shot, for the day; he just wanted to get into the theme park, already.

Goku and Piccolo took the spiral moving sidewalk all the way up to the park. Lights moved past them and loud music pumped through the speakers. Goku had a wide grin on his face and his eyes sparkled with wonder. Soon, they reached the top of the spiral, the doors opened, and they were right in the middle of Dream Land.

Dozens of attractions surrounded them – roller coasters, a ferris wheel, dark rides, and anything else that could spark a child's imagination. Children ran around the park, as their parents tried desperately to keep up. Elders sat on the benches, tired out from a long day of running to get on rides. Groups of teenagers huddled together on the corners of pathways. Everything was clean and the atmosphere was friendly.

"Hey, let's go on that, first!" Goku grabbed Piccolo by the arm and dragged him to one of the rides.

For the next several hours, it was a marathon of the most popular attractions. Piccolo never had a chance to breathe because as soon as they exited, Goku was ready to go on the next one. He could barely keep up with him. It was one high-adrenaline ride after another. It was probably fortunate that neither of them had eaten much that day because there might have been a huge mess at every ride exit.

Eventually, it just got to be too much.

"Oooh, the _Viper_ looks like fun! Let's go on that now!" Goku was about to pull Piccolo with him, but he was stopped.

"STOP, STOP," Piccolo snapped. Goku stopped, and looked back at him. "I've had enough, for now. Can we please give it a rest?"

"Okay, sure!" Suddenly, Goku's stomach started rumbling loudly. He laughed awkwardly, as he turned red. "I guess all those rides really worked up an appetite! I'll go grab something to eat. Do you want anything?"

Piccolo sat down on the edge of a fountain. "A glass of water would be nice," he muttered.

"Sounds good! I'll be right back."

Goku ran up to one of the food stands, and placed an order. As he went on and on listing everything that he wanted, the employee behind the counter began to balk. Quickly, they pulled out a notepad and tried writing everything down. Piccolo couldn't help but chuckle, and he shook his head. It really was incredible how much he could fit in his gut.

Despite his complaints and fatigue, today was not all that bad. He might dare say it was nice to hang out with Goku, for an afternoon. This was much more productive than just sitting around and meditating all day. He never thought he would say this, but he could actually get used to going out and socializing. Maybe he'd have to suggest another day like this, in the future.

He felt something tugging at his jeans. He looked down – there was a little girl standing there, looking up at him. When he saw her, she smiled. "Hi!"

He looked down at her, awkwardly. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He wasn't used to interacting with children – not in situations like this. He used to get like this when he had a child master, as well. Something about kids just freaked him out.

"What's your name," she asked.

After great deliberation, he finally answered. "Piccolo."

She jumped. "My name's Lily. You have a funny outfit!" She started giggling.

Piccolo bit down any snarky or nasty comments that comment brought on. He was not going to yell at a child, today.

"Are you sick? You look green." She reached into her tiny little purse, and pulled out a tissue. She offered it to him. "I hope you get better."

He just blinked down at her. Eventually, he took the tissue from her, and patted down his face with it, crumpling it in his hands. "Thank you," he said, quietly.

She smiled even bigger. "You're welcome!"

Then, a woman came up, took the little girl by the hand, and started walking her away. She kept glancing back at him, as she did so. Though they were standing farther away, he could still hear them clearly.

" _Sweetheart, what did I tell you about talking to strange men?_ "

" _But mama, he's sick and needed a tissue._ "

" _It doesn't matter. He's still a stranger. Who knows what he could have done to you? Now, I need you to promise me that you won't do it, again. Alright?_ "

" _Okay, mama. Sorry._ "

The mother was flashing him dirty looks, as she was talking to her daughter. To his surprise, he felt gutted by what she was telling the little girl. He didn't think he would care; he had probably heard worse, before. But this was the first time that he had seen someone hold actual contempt for him because of who he was; not just fear, but actual hatred. All he could do was look down, with his arms crossed.

"I'm back!" Goku took a seat down next to him, with a huge tray of food in his lap; half of what he ordered was already gone. He handed the cup of water to him. "Just like you asked!" Piccolo didn't even notice that he was there, still stuck in thought about what he had heard. "You okay?"

He snapped back quickly, seeing the water cup in front of him. He took it from him. "I'm fine," he muttered, as he took a drink. He knew that this was a bad idea, from the start. This was why he never went in public – something like this was bound to happen.

"Hey," Goku said. "Do you wanna leave? We can go back home, if you want."

Piccolo was surprised that he managed to read his thoughts. Whatever pleasant mood he had been in had withered and died, just a few moments ago. He nodded.

"Okay. We'll get going." Goku took a capsule out of his pocket and quickly put all of the food away. As they made their way to the exit, Piccolo felt as if he was being watched. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw many of the other park guests staring at him, as he walked by. Some were whispering to each other comments that made him feel even lower than he already was.

Piccolo stayed quiet, as the elevator descended back to the ground. The only sounds in the air were the hums and rattling of the machinery that kept it running. Coming out here was definitely a mistake. He didn't even know why he wasted his time. And to think he had actually gotten his hopes up about this.

"Thanks for coming out with me, today," Goku said. "I wouldn't have had as much fun, without you." He only grunted, in response. "I mean it. Maybe we can do it again, sometime."

He looked up. Goku just smiled at him. He had no doubt in his mind that he was being genuine. The knowledge of that raised his spirits just the smallest bit. Piccolo looked down, and the corner of his mouth turned up into a small smirk.

It was sundown, by the time they got back to Mt. Paozu. However, the lights were still on, in the house. Goku laughed, awkwardly. "I hope Chi-Chi doesn't get too mad that we snuck out together, like that."

Piccolo looked at Goku from the corner of his eyes. "You didn't tell her we were going somewhere?"

"I wasn't really thinking about that. Maybe she won't be mad?" Goku entered the house, and Piccolo followed him.

Immediately, Goku was tackled onto the floor. Chi-Chi grabbed him by his shirt "WHERE WERE YOU?! Do you know how worried I was, about you?! Gohan kept looking for you, but you weren't there! You better not have been out training, so help me God!" Piccolo took a step backwards, at her force.

Goku smiled, awkwardly. "Sorry, Chi-Chi. I went out today, with Piccolo, and I forgot to tell you. We went to Dream Land. We weren't training – promise!" Even Goku looked a little scared of her.

Chi-Chi stared at him for several months before letting him go. She pressed her fingers to her forehead. "Alright. Just let me know before you go running off like that, again."

Goku clasped his hands together. "We will, Chi-Chi!"

She shook her head, and looked up. Immediately, her expression changed from one of frustration to one of shock. The corners of her mouth started to turn up. "Piccolo? What are you wearing?"

Piccolo looked down at himself. He had completely forgotten about the outfit he had made, for himself. A small purple tint covered his nose and cheeks.

She started laughing. "I never thought I'd see the day. That's priceless! Wait, hang on! Hang on! I'll be right back!" She ran into the back room, still giggling.

Piccolo crossed his arms, and looked away.

Goku laughed. "Don't listen to her - she's just in shock. I think it kind of suits you, buddy!" He put his hand on his shoulder.

"Shut up," he growled. It only made Goku laugh more.

"Alright, boys: smile!"

Piccolo looked up, and a bright light flashed in his face. When his vision cleared, he saw Chi-Chi holding a camera. A piece of film printed out from the front, and she took it. "Oh, I can't wait to see how this turns out!"

He shook Goku's hand off of his shoulder, and stomped back to his room. He definitely had enough nonsense, for today. He was ready to get some sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey, all! Another new chapter for you all! I'm making great progress on the story, right now. I'm anticipating this story having at least 20 chapters in total. I am working on the proper sequel to _A Thrilling Chase_ , as well; hopefully I can have that going up shortly after this story is finished.

I drew a bit of art from the last chapter that you can view on my Twitter ( annelovesspam) and Tumblr (obiwanskenobi). It's one of my favorite pieces I've done, recently, so I highly recommend you go check it out.

Alright, enough of that: enjoy!

* * *

Piccolo made the same morning trek from his bedroom to the parlor. Except when he got there, he saw he was not the only one up. Chi-Chi was standing there, looking over a piece of paper. She was tapping a pencil under her chin, as she scanned over the tiny document repeatedly. She finally nodded, and put the pencil down on the table, sticking the paper into her pocket.

She looked up and saw Piccolo in the entryway. "Oh. You're up early, today."

He grunted. "Could say the same for you."

"Well, its Sunday morning – time to go into town to restock our food, again. Gotta get there early, before the shopping crowds start getting thick – especially for how much Goku eats." She took out the paper, again, and handed it to him. "See for yourself."

He balked at the numbers. Who the hell needed that many different kinds meat?

She slung a basket over her shoulder, as she snatched the shopping list back. "Well, I better get going, now, or else it's going to take hours to get back."

"You're planning on carrying all that by yourself."

She shrugged. "I do it every week; you get used to it."

He looked at her up and down. Even if she was strong, that was still a lot of food to carry. "Why don't you make Goku help you, with this?"

"Trust me – if he gets his hands on the food right after shopping, it'll never make it back home." That sounded about right. "I can manage – I've done it, before."

He should have just left, after that. He had no interest in shopping or being her pack mule. There were probably better things he could be doing with his morning. Maybe he could sneak in a quick training session with Goku, while she was gone. Maybe he could meditate some more.

Instead, against all of his better judgment, he asked "Do you have another one of those?"

"What?" She glanced at the basket. "This? Yeah. There's another one in the closet, over there. Why? Did you want to come with me?" He sighed. He went to the closet, and quickly dug out the other basket. Chi-Chi looked surprised. "You-You actually want to come with?" After staring at her for a little longer, she finally smiled. "Well… great! Just follow me. We'll be in Nikki Town in no time!

Chi-Chi took Nimbus, as Piccolo flew behind her. He had a few questions about the cloud; he had been having them since he first saw Goku flying on it.

"So," he yelled. "What's the deal with that cloud?"

Chi-Chi looked back at him, and glanced down at Nimbus. "Oh, this is Flying Nimbus. It was a gift Goku got from his old master. We take it just about anywhere."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you just have magic clouds flying around for everyone?"

"Not at all. You have to be pure of heart to ride Nimbus. If you're not, you'll fall right out from the bottom."

He rolled his eyes. He should have figured. Purity was always seen as virtuous, on this planet. Even after a century, that hadn't changed.

"Oh, we're here." She jumped off of Nimbus, not even bothering to lower it first. Piccolo balked, as she dropped to the ground. However, she landed in a crouched position, completely unharmed. She straightened her hair and clothes as she stood up, again. Piccolo lowered himself to the ground to get a better look at her, but she wasn't injured, at all.

"Just stay close by, and we'll be done in no time," she said to him. She started walking down the street, as he just stared at her.

He shook his head, and walked behind her, holding the straps of his basket. Earth women were strange.

They went down an open street, with food stands lining the curbs. Chi-Chi amassed a large number of fruits and vegetables, pilling them all into her basket with ease. Even when it looked like it was getting heavy, she still managed to carry more on her tiny shoulders. He was honestly impressed.

Piccolo didn't interact with the stand owners, and just trailed Chi-Chi the entire time. That didn't mean he wasn't noticed. He felt people staring at him, as they walked deeper into the bazaar. His ears picked up on some whispered remarks from others. He shook his head. He still had that day at the theme park in the back of his mind; now, he couldn't just ignore other people's ire.

"Well," Chi-Chi said, pulling him from his thoughts. "Now we've gotta stop by the butcher, and pick up the meat. Then, we can head back home. Do you need anything, while we're out here?"

"I'm good."

They continued down the street for a few more blocks before they reached the butchery. They went inside, and she walked up to the butcher, talking with him casually. They seemed somewhat amicable. It wasn't a huge surprise, once he thought about it.

"I suppose you want the usual order, Miss Chi-Chi?"

"Of course."

He laughed. "I figured. Give us a few minutes." The butcher went into the back, leaving the register empty.

Chi-Chi walked over to Piccolo. "I'm going to need your basket – you'll be carrying the meat back home." He sighed, and took the basket off of his shoulders. She quickly grabbed it from him, and sat it on the front counter.

The bell on the door rang, as another customer walked into the butcher shop. It was another woman: she looked older than Chi-Chi, but dressed as if she was still young. She had a large pair of sunglasses on her face and was rambling about something completely inane into a large phone. She walked up to the counter, as her ankles wobbled in her high heels. She tried to flag down an employee in the bag, waving one arm in the air. She shoved Chi-Chi aside, to do so.

Chi-Chi blinked, and tapped her on her shoulder. "Excuse me," she said.

The woman didn't listen, still yelling into her phone.

Chi-Chi cleared her throat. "Excuse me," she said, more firmly this time.

She still paid no attention to her.

"EXCUSE ME!"

The woman rolled her eyes. "I'll have to call you back." She hung up the phone and looked at Chi-Chi out of the corner of her eyes. "What do you want," she scoffed.

She crossed her arms and planted herself firmly. "I was here first. Can you please move and wait your turn?"

"It's not all about you, sweetie. I have a right to be here as much as you do." She shoved her aside, once again, and resumed waving at the employees in the back. "HEY!" Piccolo winced and covered his ears, at her screeching. "If you don't come out here right now, I'll be taking my money elsewhere!" He rubbed his fingers on his temples. This was what he always assumed all Earthlings were like.

Chi-Chi looked livid, at being disrespected like that. However, she didn't want to cause a scene, either. She huffed out a breath, and leaned against the counter, tapping her foot. This wasn't her usual frustration: she was seething mad.

Finally, a frazzled employee came out and handled her order. Piccolo pitied the poor young man, as he tried to get her to calm down. Once the order was placed, she stopped whining and complaining. Everyone in the room seemed to be eased by that.

She took off her sunglasses, and went to sit in one of the tables, passing him along the way. She glanced at him for a moment, but stopped and did a double take. Her eyes widened and she stepped backwards. He looked down at her with a passive expression, only quirking his brow up.

The employee came back out, with her order. "That'll be 1000 zeni, ma'am."

The woman marched up to the counter. "You expect me to pay money when you let people like that in here?!" She pointed at Piccolo, for emphasis.

"Ma'am, we don't discriminate to any custome-"

"Does that look like a customer to you?! If you don't call the police and have him taken away, I will!"

"Ma'am, pleas-"

"No! You better get him out of here, or you'll lose yourself a customer!"

The employee looked down and sighed. He stepped out from behind the counter and went up to Piccolo. "Sir, we're going to have to ask you to leave."

Piccolo blinked. It took him a few seconds to process what he had just been told. He couldn't explain why, but that request was somehow worse than the obscenities the woman had screamed. His head began to hurt, and it felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He breathed out of his nose, turned around, and started walking out of the shop. He didn't know why he kept wasting his time. This was going to keep happening, whether he wanted it to or not. Kami was foolish to think that anyone would see him as anything other than a monster.

"How dare you! You have some nerve talking to him, like that!"

He stopped, right in front of the door. From the corner of his eye, he saw Chi-Chi yelling at the employee, with her hands on her hips.

"Piccolo has just a much of a right to be here as anyone else! I thought you said you don't discriminate against anyone!"

His jaw dropped. Was she actually defending him?

"We only want to keep some decorum and peace, around here," the employee stuttered out. "Our customers deserve the best experience."

She gestured towards the woman. "What makes this stuck-up delinquent more worthy of that than he is?"

The woman sputtered. "Delinquent?!"

"Your parents clearly never said 'no' to you enough, as a child, with how entitled you act." She pointed at the employee, getting in his face. "You should be ashamed of yourself, for taking her side!"

"Ma'am, please-"

"I can see that you don't take those so-called discrimination policies as seriously as I believed. You can cancel my order because it looks like I'll have to find a new butcher." She took the basket off of the table, and walked towards the door.

"Wait, ma'am! Please, let's talk this out!"

"There's nothing to talk out. You're weak in your morals, and I don't want to support someone like that. Let's go, Piccolo – I saw another place, down the street."

Piccolo looked down at her in surprise, as she reached the door. She looked up at him and gave him a nod, as she exited the butcher's shop. He blinked, and quickly followed her out. The employee begged them to come back, trying to amend for his mistakes. They ignored the pleas – Chi-Chi didn't even look back, keeping her head high.

The rest of the trip went on without any interruptions. Chi-Chi found a new butcher down the street, and put in the order for the meats. The shopkeeper nearly face-faulted at the order, but put it into action, promising to have it delivered to their house by tomorrow; he did make it clear that they needed a heads-up, in the future. Soon, Piccolo and Chi-Chi were on their way back to Mt. Paozu.

Piccolo was still stunned by what had happened, earlier. This same woman screamed and called him a monster, when they first met. She thought that he hurting the brat was enough of a plausible scenario for her to threaten him if he did so. Yet now, she had defended him and called out others for disrespecting him. Even Goku had seemed oblivious to him being insulted. Had she already gotten that comfortable around him? He could hardly believe it.

They made it back home, and Chi-Chi took the basket off of her shoulders. "Well, that was certainly eventful," she said. "Looks like Goku might have to go without any meat for dinner, tonight."

Right as she was about to go inside, she stopped. She turned around. "Thank you for coming along. I really appreciated it.

"Sure," he said.

"I mean it. You keep surprising me, Piccolo. I didn't think you had it in you. I'm sorry you had to hear any of that crap."

"I've heard worse," he said, dismissively, while glancing at the door. He was starting to get uncomfortable with her sentiment.

"Either way, I might have to ask you to come along again, next weekend. You make a good travel partner." She turned around and opened the door, leaving Piccolo standing on the front porch.

He blinked. What just happened? He shook his head and followed her inside, closing the door behind him.

This entire family was going to be the death of him.


	9. Chapter 9

Piccolo's eyes opened, when a loud noise echoed in the air. He huffed, as his concentration was broken, yet again. He was thankful that it wasn't the brat crying, this time. The noise was coming from outside. It sounded like the rumbling of an engine. His brows furrowed. He thought no one here had a car.

There was a loud bang in the kitchen, and Chi-Chi was running towards the door, soon after. Piccolo tilted his head to the side, to try and see what the commotion was about.

He wasn't prepared for what he saw. Stepping out of the car was the biggest man he had ever seen – both tall and stout. He had a cap on his head with cow horns on each side, making him look even taller. Contrasting that was his outfit: a pink polo and a pair of slacks with suspenders. He was confused: he hadn't seen something that mismatched, before.

"Dad! You're back!" Chi-Chi ran up to him and hugged him around his waist.

He picked her up, and hugged her tightly. "How's my little princess?"

Piccolo's eyes widened. That giant was Chi-Chi's father? He looked down, as his mind tried to piece together how that worked.

"I wasn't expecting you, so soon," she said. "What brings you around here?"

Chi-Chi's father reached into the back of his car and pulled out a few wrapped boxes. "I brought some presents for Gohan! I was gonna wait until his birthday, but I thought I should give them, now!"

"Oh, that's just wonderful! I can't wait for him to see it!"

He stomped loudly over to the house. "Hello! Gohan! I'm here! Where's my little grandson?" He tried to go inside, but he and the presents got stuck in the door. He tripped as he managed to push himself inside, and he landed on his face.

Chi-Chi laughed. "Oh, dad." She ran next to him, to help him get up. "Gohan's not here, right now – He's out with Goku. They should be back later." She managed to pull him on his feet, without exerting much effort, making Piccolo do a double take. "You can stay for dinner, if you'd like. You can give everything to Gohan, then."

He sighed, in disappointment. "Oh well. What's a few more hours, am I right?"

"Do you want tea, or anything?"

"You always know what makes your old man happy, don't you?"

She giggled. "I'll get right on it, dad. Make yourself comfortable in the living room, while you wait."

Piccolo closed his eyes and lurched forward. Dammit, he was hoping he could get out of meeting him.

Chi-Chi's dad carried the presents into the parlor and sat them on the coffee table. He took a seat in the reclining chair, and picked up a book sitting on the end table. He laughed to himself, as he flipped through it.

Chi-Chi was back in no time, holding a small tray of drinks. She handed her father a mug of tea. "There you go: one cup of white tea."

He smiled and gave her an approving nod. "Thank you, princess."

She sat a small cup on the table in front of an empty chair, and, to Piccolo's surprise, a glass of water in front of him. "I figured all of that meditating must have made you a little parched."

This got her dad's attention, and he looked up from his book. He readjusted his glasses, when he saw Piccolo sitting on the couch. "Why, hello there, stranger! Who's this?"

"Oh, right. This is Piccolo: he's been staying with us for a while. He's one of Goku's friends."

"Really?" A grin formed on his face, as he stood up from his seat. "Well, any friend of Goku's is a friend of mine!" He extended his hand towards him.

Piccolo stared at it for a few seconds, not knowing what to do. He knew what this called for; he was just a little caught off guard. However, he quickly got his bearings. He stood up and firmly shook his hand. From the corner of his eye, he saw Chi-Chi smiling.

"It's a pleasure to meet you!"

He only nodded, in response.

Chi-Chi and her father caught up on missed time, for the following hour. To his surprise, Piccolo wasn't tuning out the conversation. He never spoke up, but he was listening. He didn't find it that boring. Time seemed to go by quickly, and he couldn't explain why.

"So, what about you, Piccolo," Chi-Chi's father interjected. "What brought you here?"

He glanced at Chi-Chi. In one look, she made it clear that she wasn't going to speak for him. "Goku was quite insistent that I live with him."

He laughed. "That certainly sounds like our Goku! Say, you look at bit like Kami – are you two related, by chance?"

"In a way." He had no desire going into detail about it.

"Really? I didn't think he had any relatives, but he always keeps things to himself. Well, Piccolo, you certainly got a nice place to stay, for sure! I trust that my daughter's been a good host to you."

He looked up at Chi-Chi. "She has."

Her eyes widened, in surprise, and she blinked. He wasn't lying, either. There hadn't been any incidents, since he moved back in. Especially since the day at the market, he had begun to appreciate how accommodating she had been, and how much trust that entailed. He might have started getting used to her controlling tendencies.

"Just like I always taught you! I didn't expect anything less from you, princess."

She blushed, and looked down, bashfully. "Dad, please…"

The corner of Piccolo's mouth quirked up, for a moment. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but that was kind of cute. He quickly pouted and shook his head. What the hell was he thinking? He never found something 'cute'.

The front door swung open. He breathed out a sigh of relief – at least he didn't have to ponder that thought any longer.

"Hey, there's my son-in-law!" Chi-Chi's father stood up, and stomped over to Goku, who was holding Gohan. "And he's got my grandson!"

"Oh, Ox King! What are you doing here," Goku questioned, as he walked inside.

Piccolo's brows furrowed, and he looked back. Either he heard something wrong, or Goku just called Chi-Chi's father 'Ox King'. He knew that name – it was a legend that he had heard, when Kami was taught under Earth's guardian. Supposedly, the Ox King was a giant that pillaged and stole from others and lived atop a fiery mountain. The name was only a moniker, upheld by a line of men for generation after generation.

Clearly, that tradition was dead.

Ox King took Gohan, and held him in the air. Gohan laughed and smiled, as he was spun around in a circle. "You're getting strong, already! He's taking after his old man, I see. He might grow up to be a great fighter!"

"I hope not," Chi-Chi said. "I won't have him fighting like some brainless delinquent: he'll be a well-educated young man in no time."

Ox King blinked, and looked down at the presents. "Well, now I understand why you told me to buy all those books."

Goku, Chi-Chi, and Ox King all laughed at his comments, while Gohan laughed and clapped along. Piccolo was only wondering why she was so neurotic over education this early: the brat couldn't even talk, yet.

The family had dinner together, and then Gohan got to open his presents. He was surprisingly delighted by all of the books, actually flipping through the pages and running his hands over the text. Chi-Chi held him in her lap as he 'read', with a smile on her face. He received a few new outfits and a couple stuffed animals, as well. He took a liking to the stuffed monkey, in particular, hugging it tightly for the rest of the night. This confirmed Piccolo's suspicion: Gohan was spoiled rotten. He dreaded thinking about what a brat he might become, when he got older.

Ox King stood up, looking at his watch. "Well, I better get going: it's a long drive back to Frying Pan."

"Have a safe drive, dad. Come back, soon." Chi-Chi hugged her father with one arm, holding Gohan in the other.

He patted his grandson's head. "Be good, my little monkey." Gohan shut his eyes and smiled, at the small gesture.

Goku waved. "Bye, Ox King! See you, later."

Right as Goku spoke, Ox King's eyes widened. "Right! I can't believe I almost forgot!"

Chi-Chi looked concerned. "What's wrong, dad?"

"Oh, it's not bad. I just almost forgot that I brought something for you, Goku!"

"Huh? Really?"

Ox King reached into his pockets, sticking his tongue out. When he couldn't find anything, he switched to the opposite pocket. Finally, he smiled, and pulled out a small pouch. He handed it to Goku. "I found that in my castle, the other night: I thought you might need it more than I do."

Goku looked down at the pouch in his hands, and lifted it up. He tilted his head to the side, trying to figure out what it was. Piccolo leaned in slightly, looking over his shoulder. He was a touch intrigued, as well.

Goku opened the pouch, and emptied its contents into his hand.

Piccolo's heart dropped. Sitting in the palm of his hand was none other than a Dragon Ball.

"WHAT?! A Dragon Ball," Goku exclaimed. He turned it over in his hands, inspecting it. It looked authentic, to be sure. It had that familiar orange hue and golden sheen on the outside. And engraved on one side of it were two stars. He turned over his shoulder, to look at Piccolo. "Have they recharged already?"

Piccolo thought, for a moment. When he did the math in his head, it added up: a year ago, he was fighting Frieza on Planet Vegeta. He nodded, with an affirmative grunt.

Goku went up to Ox King, to thank him for the Dragon Ball. As he did, Piccolo's thoughts came to a screeching halt. A horrifying realization had come over him.

It had been a year since the fight with Frieza.

Since he had gained freedom.

His mind completely shut down, and that was all he could think about. He had been free for an entire year, and he never even noticed. It was harder for him to figure out what was scarier: that it happened only a year ago, or that an entire year had passed without him noticing. And he had spent most of that year sulking on the Lookout. His head was reeling, and he suddenly felt a need to sit down.

He was pulled from his crisis, when someone put their hand on his shoulder. It was Ox King. "It was nice meeting you, Piccolo. I hope you end up sticking around!" Without waiting for a response, he patted his shoulder twice, before leaving the house.

Goku and Chi-Chi followed him out, waving goodbye from the doorway. Ox King waved once more, as he got into his car. Then, he quickly sped off down the dirt road, leaving a train of dust in his path.

Chi-Chi sighed, as she shifted Gohan in her arms. "We never see him, enough. When the weather gets cold, I say we go and visit him, for a change."

"Sounds good to me!" Goku walked up to Piccolo. "Hey, you feeling okay, Piccolo? You started acting funny, after Ox King gave me the Dragon Ball."

He huffed, as he glanced at the orange ball. "I don't exactly have a good history, with those things."

His joyful expression faded into a more somber one. "Oh."

"And before you ask: I don't particularly want to talk about it." Piccolo looked down. It was not just the bad memories: he did not want them to know his past, either. They would run him out in no time. He shook his head, and turned around. His freedom might as well have been another prison.

"Kami told me the same thing," Goku said. "He almost stopped making the Dragon Balls because he didn't want them to be misused. I don't understand how people can do that: have all that power and use it to hurt someone."

At least Kami understood that. He had seen it first hand: power corrupts. Even if someone weren't as malicious and diabolical as Frieza, it never took long for all that power to go to their heads. Out of the hundreds of masters he had, Bulma was the only one that didn't go down that path. "Consider yourself lucky that you don't," he said.

There was a long silence.

"Well, if you have all those bad memories, maybe we can help make you some good ones!"

He looked back at Goku. "What are you on about?"

Goku tossed the Dragon Ball into the air, casually. "Well, we'll be looking for the other Dragon Balls, soon: you can come with! We could use the extra help."

"We," Chi-Chi said. She came up next to him. "Goku, I can't go: what about Gohan?"

"He can come along, too! You said you wanted all of us to go out together: how about looking for the Dragon Balls!"

She looked downwards. "I don't know…"

"Oh, come on! The last time we looked for them was so much fun. We should bring Gohan into it, too. Besides, you never leave the house. You shouldn't be stuck here, all day."

She looked up at him, as he was giving her a big grin. She sighed. "Oh, I don't see why not."

He looked positively giddy over her agreement. He turned back to Piccolo. "You're living here, too: you shouldn't be here all by yourself, while we're out looking for the Dragon Balls. You should come with!"

Piccolo pursed his lips. Maybe this would ease some of the bad memories. It was becoming abundantly clear to him that sitting around and meditating all day was not going to lessen his pain.

"Fine."

Goku jumped in the air. "Woohoo! We're all going out to find the Dragon Balls, together! When do you want to leave?"

Chi-Chi chimed in. "I say tomorrow morning: the sooner we find what we need, the better."

"Yeah! We can jump right in! Cool!"

"I'll put Gohan to bed, now, so he'll be less of a fuss, in the morning. Good night, you two."

"Night, Chi-Chi!" He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, as she went out of the room. She covered her cheek, as they turned a bright red.

Goku put his hand on Piccolo's shoulder. "Thanks for agreeing to this. I promise that you won't regret it."

Somehow, Piccolo knew he would make good on his promise.


	10. Chapter 10

Piccolo, Goku, Chi-Chi, and Gohan were up in the early hours of the morning. Goku holstered a stick on his back with a rope over his shoulders and stuck the two-star ball in his pocket. Chi-Chi had Gohan swaddled in a wrap hanging over her chest. She had a rucksack over one shoulder, carrying food, first aid, and any other essentials she wouldn't leave the house without. Piccolo carried nothing but the clothes on his back.

The party was ready to set out on their adventure. Goku called for Nimbus and once he and his family were on board, they flew off. Piccolo flied beside it, high in the sky.

Goku reached into his pocket, and pulled out the Dragon Ball. "This thing will start reacting, when we get close to one," he shouted to Piccolo. "I used to need a radar to get to them, until Kami pointed that out."

"This isn't your first search, is it," Piccolo asked.

"Not really. It's kind of a regular thing." He laughed.

Chi-Chi reached around and pointed at the ball. "Goku, look!"

Sure enough, it was already flickering and glowing. Goku made a 'yes' motion, with his fist, and immediately jumped off, without even looking down. Chi-Chi screamed, and quickly followed him, on Nimbus. There was a loud thud from below and a strained 'ow'. Piccolo shook his head, and lowered himself to the ground.

"Goku, you idiot," she screamed. "I told you to stop doing that!"

He staggered back up, rubbing his head. "Sorry. I just got excited," he said, laughing awkwardly.

She rolled her eyes. "So, the Dragon Ball is around here?"

Piccolo started looking at his surroundings. They were standing in a plain in the middle of a bamboo forest. The trunks were tall, reaching hundreds of feet above them. The morning sun had risen above them, and cast shadows of the leaves onto their path. In front of the tiny plain were a small dirt path, covered in dead leaves and broken sticks.

"Yep," Goku confirmed. "All we gotta do now is find it. Stay here, for a sec." Goku jumped back on Nimbus and flew in the opposite direction, before anyone could ask what he was doing.

Gohan was babbling, as he looked up at the train Nimbus left behind. Chi-Chi held him close. "Don't worry – your daddy will be back soon. He's just finding out what direction the Dragon Ball is in." She looked up and sighed, wistfully. "This takes me back. This was how your father and I met…" She leaned her cheek in the palm of her hand. "It was love at first sight. He was such a charmer, even back then."

Piccolo raised an eyebrow. She was still talking about Goku, wasn't she?

Speak of the devil, he came flying back right afterwards. He hopped off of Nimbus. "It's that way." He pointed at the dirt path. "It shouldn't be too far."

The party made its way deeper into the tranquil and quiet forest, on foot. The wind rustled through the trees, and the birds sang to each other in a hushed tone. The loudest sounds were coming from their steps, as the dead leaves and twigs were crushed beneath their feet. Animals quietly scampered up into the trees, while they passed by. Goku led the group, keeping a watchful eye on the Dragon Ball. Chi-Chi was right beside him, and Piccolo was behind them.

"So," Piccolo finally asked. "What did you mean when you said this was a 'regular thing'?"

"Well, I don't really look for them, but a lot of friends need them a lot. Mostly just to keep them away from bad guys." He scratched his chin. "We held onto our last batch of them for a couple years, until Mr. Popo came by for them."

"You've never even gotten a wish on them?"

"Not really. Don't need one."

Piccolo blinked. "Then why the hell are we looking for them?!"

"Watch your language," Chi-Chi snapped. "Gohan can hear you!"

He growled. "Why are we looking for them, then?"

"We won't be getting all of them," Goku explained. "We only need the four star ball. My grampa gave it to me, when I was a kid. I didn't even know what they did, until I got older."

Piccolo's eyes narrowed. "Is that not common knowledge?"

"No," Chi-Chi chimed in. "Dad didn't know what his Dragon Ball was until he met Goku. Most probably think it's just a legend."

It gave Piccolo a bit of comfort to know that most weren't aware of the balls existence. If they did, he had little doubt that chaos would ensue over finding them: he had seen it firsthand too many times.

"Hey, it's glowing!"

The Dragon Ball was glowing consistently, without ever flickering.

"This one's gotta be close! Start looking!"

The group split up, searching through nearby cracks and crevasses. They looked under small rocks, in between fallen logs, and through the tall blades of grass. Piccolo chose to look up the nearby trees, being the only one who could fly on his own. He looked at the tops of the trees, and into the small nests. More than likely, an animal was using it as furniture, right now.

A bit of orange caught his eye, in one of the larger nests. He craned his neck up, to see it at a better angle. Just as he suspected, the small orange ball was located right next to some eggshells. He jumped into the nest, and walked over to the ball, quickly grabbing it. To his disappointment, it was the five star ball. He huffed; he was hoping this wouldn't be a long search.

The nest shook with a loud thump, knocking him off balance, for a moment. He nearly lost the Dragon Ball, but he quickly caught it, again.

A deep laugh sounded, from behind him. He rolled his eyes, as he turned around. A large dinosaur with a huge wingspan was stalking up to him, from behind.

"Well, well, well: not every day dinner wanders onto my plate. What a pleasant surprise." It licked its chops. "Oh, I am going to enjoy-"

Piccolo walked past the dinosaur, and jumped out of the nest, with the Dragon Ball in his hands. The dinosaur yelled at him, begging him to come back and let him finish his speech. He landed gracefully on his feet, and went to regroup with Goku and the others.

"I've got it," he stated.

Goku and Chi-Chi looked up, from their search. When he saw the Dragon Ball, his eyes lit up, and he sped towards him, getting right in his face. Piccolo staggered backwards, wanting some elbowroom.

"Yeah, it's the six-star ball!" He took it from him, and put it in his pocket, with the other Dragon Ball. He flopped, onto the ground. "Phew! I think that's enough adventure, for day. How about we set up camp, for the night?"

Chi-Chi looked up. "We've been out for that long? Huh." Chi-Chi took off her rucksack, and reached into it, pulling out a capsule. "Stand back, boys!" She pressed the button on the top, threw it, and it erupted, when it hit the ground. In its place was a small house.

"You bought a capsule house, Chi-Chi?"

"I figured we might need one, if we ever take a trip, together. It took a bit of saving up, but I thought it was a good investment."

"Good thinking!"

She put her hands on her hips. "I think I packed enough food in the fridge, but maybe we can grab a few things, while we're here."

Goku pointed his thumb behind him. "I saw a river back there – I could take Nimbus and go fishing.

"Maybe. Piccolo, what do you think?"

She didn't get a response. He was gone. Goku and Chi-Chi glanced around, trying to find him. They didn't see or hear him leave. He had just vanished. They looked at each other, and gave the other a confused look and shrug.

Goku looked up, and saw a figure coming in, to land. He put his hand over his eyes and concentrated on it. When he felt its energy, he wasn't worried, anymore: it was Piccolo. All he was wondering now was where he ran off.

Piccolo came in for a soft landing, holding a trophy, over his head. In one hand, he held the now dead dinosaur from which he stole the Dragon Ball. He threw it on the ground in front of him, making them jump back. They gawked at the giant carcass, and then at Piccolo, wondering how he managed to do that.

"I assume that will suffice," he said.

Chi-Chi made quick work of the giant carcass, quickly chopping it up into patties and more manageable portions. It was more than enough to last them, for the next few days. Even its marrow was sufficient enough to salvage, and the bones could be useful for carpentry and building, when they got back home. A large platter of it was served that night, for dinner, much to Goku's delight. He didn't eat nearly as much, as the meat was surprisingly filling, even for his appetite. Afterwards, they relaxed in the small parlor.

Goku leaned back in his chair. "Man: this is just like the first time I went looking for the Dragon Balls. Never thought I'd end up here, because of them."

Piccolo had been curious, ever since Goku explained his motivations. He held off his questions earlier, not wanting to distract from the mission, but now was as good of a time as ever. "How did you find out about them?"

Goku tilted his head, trying to recall the story. "Hmm… I was 14… no, 12, right. Anyway,"

He went on to explain how he discovered the power of the Dragon Balls. He had been heading back home, after grabbing something to eat, when he was hit by a large vehicle. He had thought it was a monster, but it turned out to be three guys. They showed him their Dragon Ball, and demanded that they have his. They explained the legend to him, and made him join them, as a bodyguard. Anytime they needed intimidation tactics, they used him. They usually handed them the balls without any fuss.

"Yeah. Those guys were weird, and not very nice. After I met Oolong, he said to take their Dragon Balls and go look for them, with him." He leaned backwards, putting his hands behind his head. "I'm glad I did: I don't think I would have met my friends, if I didn't."

Piccolo nodded. So it never was about the wishes: he just fell into it. The only reason he's still looking is for sentimental reasons. It made him feel a bit better about helping someone find the Dragon Balls; at least he wasn't helping another entitled brat.

"Hey," he said, nudging him with his foot. "Thanks for coming along. I know it must be hard, with your bad memories. I appreciate all the help you've been."

He paused, letting the compliment sink in. "You're welcome."


	11. Chapter 11

"I think we're coming up on the next Dragon Ball," Goku shouted. The balls were beginning to flicker and glow, once more. After an entire morning of searching, they were finally coming towards a lead. Piccolo looked down. If he was looking at it, correctly, then the Dragon Ball landed in the middle of old ruins.

Goku landed Nimbus properly, and hopped off closer to the ground, under the watchful supervision of Chi-Chi. Piccolo quickly followed them down.

The ruins were very impressive. There were tall stone pillars and archways across the broken pavement, with only a few broken and topped over. Nature had overtaken the abandoned ruins, with weeds and overgrown trees growing around the broken pillars and out of the stone floor. The place was bereft of human life; it appeared that no one had lived here for centuries. It was truly a testament to man's ingenuity, even that far into the past. Even Piccolo was impressed.

A large figure was carved, on the face of a cliff. It was the face of a tiger, roaring ferociously with its fangs visible. It had been damaged by age and weather over the years, but it was somehow decently preserved. Underneath the visage was a small entryway, shrouded in darkness.

Goku pointed towards the entrance. "You think it might be in there?"

Chi-Chi stepped backwards, holding Gohan closer to her. "I don't know about that…"

Goku looked down at the Dragon Ball and walked closer to the entrance. Chi-Chi and Piccolo followed by, further back; if something came out of those ruins, neither of them wanted to deal with it. As he got closer and closer to it, the flickering became steadier and slower.

He looked back. "See? It's changing – it's gotta be in there!"

"Goku," Chi-Chi exclaimed. "Who knows what could be in there?! There could be some ancient diseases that could kill us! There might be wild animals that have moved in! What if it's cursed?! There are five other Dragon Balls: can't we look for one of those, instead?"

"This one might be grampa's: if we don't get it, then someone else might try and find it. I'm willing to take those risks."

"What about your son?! Do you want to bring Gohan into that kind of danger?!"

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, we'll be okay. I won't leave your side, for a second. If we just stick together, we'll all be safe."

She looked up at Goku nervously, but relented. "Alright," she reluctantly said, "You lead the way."

Piccolo just shook his head. He never realized how reckless Goku was until this trip had started. Recklessness and naiveté were a dangerous combination, to be sure. If he was always like this, then it was a wonder that he was still alive.

Goku took Chi-Chi's hand, and the party moved into the dark and dank ruins. No light was shining inside, except for the daylight coming in from the doorway. Goku raised his hand a lit a small ball of ki, letting it float freely next to them. They took a step backwards, when they saw they were right near the edge of a cliff. There was a long staircase leading further into the darkness.

Gohan cooed, writhing around in the swaddle. Chi-Chi hushed him, pulling him closer. "It's okay, sweetie," she whispered.

Goku looked back at Piccolo. He rolled his eyes, pushed them aside, and descended down the stairs, himself. Goku had promised to stay with him family, so he couldn't scout out the path by himself. That meant that Piccolo was the only person who was able to go ahead, like a canary in a mine. He heard one of them shout 'be careful' at him, as he was already a good ways down.

As he descended into the darkness, he lit his fingers up with his own energy. The steps were steep and short, and keeping balance became more difficult, as he got lower. He glanced backwards: the others had started following up, as well. Goku must have realized how steep it was, as well, because he was taking care to guide Chi-Chi's steps along the way. He was a bit more cautious than he had thought he would be.

Piccolo came to the bottom of the staircase, onto a flat plain. He put a bit more energy into his fingertips, brightening his ki and giving him a bit more visibility. This looked to be all one room, connecting with the entrance they came in. The walls were clear, without any writing or pictures carved into them. The floor and steps looked worn and well treaded, however; out of the corner of his eye, he swore he saw a skeleton lying on the ground.

By the looks of it, they were not at the edge of the ruins, yet. The path continued in front of him, through a small archway. He hoped they were heading in the right direction; he was going to strangle Goku, if this was leading them away from the Dragon Ball. He had a feeling Chi-Chi would join in, as well.

Chi-Chi sighed, as she made it down the final step. She nodded, and assured Goku that she was all right, when he gave her a concerned look.

"How close are we to the Dragon Ball," Piccolo asked.

Goku took the Dragon Ball out of his pocket, and looked at it. "Still glowing," he said. "We have to be getting closer. Let's keep going."

Piccolo ducked his head, as they went through the archway. The room they entered was much more condensed than the last. When he walked up to the room, he saw that they were covered in hieroglyphics and carvings.

Goku came up behind him to look at them, as well. "Wow. I don't think I've seen anything like this. What do you think they mean?"

"I don't know."

Goku leaned in, over his shoulder, balancing on one foot and awkwardly shoving his cheek against Piccolo's. Piccolo just stood there and took it, knowing fighting it was going to make it worse. Goku traced the carvings, running his finger right above the wall.

He lost his balance for a moment, and tripped forward, sending him and Piccolo falling, against the wall, almost crashing into it.

They heard stone scraping against stone. When they looked up, the archway was beginning to close.

"Goku," Chi-Chi shouted. She was still outside. She ran up, and tried to push the wall back up with one arm, but couldn't. Goku ran up, and tried to do the same. However, it was no use. Soon, the archway was completely closed. Goku stepped back and rammed his arm into the wall as hard as he could, but it wouldn't budge. Through the force of his impact, he fell backwards.

"What the hell did you do," Piccolo snapped.

Goku winced, as he stood back up. "I don't know. Maybe falling on that wall activated some kind of trap."

" _Goku! Are you two okay?_ "

"Yeah. We're fine." Goku pushed against the wall, his muscles contracting and turning red, from the pressure. He gasped, and took a step back. "Okay. Not good. We're stuck."

Piccolo snarled. "You moron! Why weren't you more careful?!"

"Hey! I didn't know that was going to do that! Not like I could read anything on that wall."

"And you still thought it was a good idea to poke your nose in places, like that?!"

"It wasn't my fault! You tripped me!"

"You were the one who was leaning up against me!"

" _BOYS! STOP IT, IMMEDIATELY!_ "

They both jumped. Immediately, Goku's back straightened. "Sorry, Chi-Chi!"

They heard her sigh, on the other side. " _You're not going to get out of there if you keep fighting, like this. Calm down and work together on something._ "

"Right." Goku paced for a moment, trying to think of a solution. "Maybe there's a way out that's through the ruins. We can keep going in, and we'll come out on another side."

That had to be the dumbest idea he had ever heard in his life. "Why would going through the ruins get us closer to the exit?"

"Someone was here, once – there has to be more than one entrance."

"And what gives you that idea?"

"Hey, if you've got a better plan, I'll hear it."

He had a point, loathed as he was to admit. They really didn't have many options. Piccolo pursed his lips, and breathed out through his nose.

"Come on, what do we have to lose? If that fails, we'll just try something else."

He made it sound so simple. He sighed. "Alright."

" _I'll search the outside, for a way in_ ," Chi-Chi said. " _I might be able to meet you, in the middle._ "

"Okay," Goku said. "We'll start heading in."

" _You two better be careful!_ "

"We will!"

Right as Goku was about to start walking, Piccolo put his hand on his chest to stop him. "Listen: if you get yourself in trouble, I won't help you. You were the one who suggested this, so you get to save yourself."

He chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

Goku and Piccolo stepped deeper into the ruins through another archway into a long hallway. Goku was holding an energy ball of light that hovered over his palm. The walls were carved with complex designs, but none seemed to hold any meaning – there were no clear pictures or text anywhere. The designs repeated throughout the long and seemingly endless corridor.

Piccolo stopped and turned around. He had heard something moving behind him, but the walkway was empty. He glanced around him, but there wasn't a hiding place for them. He closed his eyes, trying to find an energy that wasn't his.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Keep your guard up," he said. "I don't think we're alone."

Goku let go of his energy ball, letting it float freely, beside him. He took a guarded stance, looking around the room, as well. He proceeded down the hallway, with more caution in his steps. Piccolo followed suit, paying attention behind them."

"What makes you think that?"

"Something was moving, behind us."

"Did you see anything?"

"No, but I felt a bit of energy."

They both continued along, standing back to back, scanning the vicinity for any energy and waiting for anything to strike. Despite their vigilance, nothing was there. Maybe they were alone, and it had been just his mind playing tricks on him.

Goku let out a grunt of pain, and the energy ball evaporated, leaving them in total darkness. Caught off guard, Piccolo frantically searched for energy, but there still was none. Suddenly, he was struck on the back of his head. He turned around to retaliate, but he was quickly kicked in the stomach. He hissed, as something sharp scratched at his neck. Something stepped on his back, trying to cease his struggling. As he tried to get him off, he felt himself losing control of his limbs. Though he was trying to move, his body did not cooperate. He couldn't move, no matter how hard he was trying.

He felt his wrists being pulled behind his back, and tied up with a coarse rope. Then, he was grabbed by the collar of his shirt, and dragged back the way he came. He heard snickering from above him, as his anonymous captors made snide comments about him.

They stopped. There was a knock on the wall, and stone began to scrape against stone. Suddenly, he was picked up and thrown onto a hard stone floor like a sack of potatoes, landing on his stomach. Another person was dropped next to him, with a loud thud. It had to be Goku.

"Piccolo," Goku shouted, making him wince. "You okay? Where are you?"

"I'm right here. Stop screaming in my ear."

"Sorry…"

Laughing and snickering came from all corners of the room. The lights flashed on, blinding Piccolo. He shut his eyes and blinked, until his vision finally cleared. When he looked up, he saw shadowed figures looming over him.

One leaned down in their faces. Piccolo was taken aback by their features – he had the face of a cat, yet stood up on two legs. It was odd that, after all he had seen in the universe, this was somehow an odd sight. He mostly wasn't expecting it.

"Well, look here, fellas," he said, rolling his r's along the way. "We've got ourselves a couple of visitors." They all laughed and yelled, in delight. "What brings such men like you to our humble abode?"

Piccolo cocked a brow. "Could have at least given us a name, first."

He looked amused. "Oh, my apologies. You must not have known that this is Felis territory – home to the sharpest claws in the world."

The lead cat jumped backwards, and the other three cats formed a pose formation. The cat did a back flip, intending to land right in the middle. Instead, he missed the mark and fell on his face. The remaining cats looked down at him, in shock and confusion, glancing at each other and standing awkwardly. The lead cat quickly regained his footing, and joined the rest of them in the pose.

"We're tough!"

"We're sharp!"

"We always land on our feet!"

"We are the Felis gang!"

They spun around once, hopped in the air, and got into a crouched position, with their rears sticking up and their tails bristled. They held this pose for several seconds, as if waiting for applause.

"Then how come you fell on your face," Goku asked, tilting his head to the side.

The cats didn't look amused. They stood up straight, and the leader approached them, again. "The name's Angeau. My accomplices are Boeuf, Dinde, and Poullet. You see, we're brothers and we moved into this-"

Piccolo groaned. "I'm not interested in hearing your life story, so get to the point, already."

Angeau's lower eyelid twitched. "Fine. Have it your way," he said, defensively. "We're robbing you of your valuables. Is that short enough, for you?!"

"Perfect," Piccolo said, with a small smirk.

Angeau snapped his fingers, and two of the cats stepped forward. "Start searching them." They nodded, in agreement, and started poking and searching Goku and Piccolo for anything of value. Piccolo cringed, as he was patted down. This felt violating. Based on what Goku's interjections, he felt the same way.

"Ey, I think I found something," one of them said, while searching Goku. He was digging into one of his pockets. He managed to grab onto something and pulled it out. It was one of the Dragon Balls.

Angeau walked up to him, and looked at it, himself. "Say, this is just like that other one we got off of three idiots. What a steal!"

"You have a Dragon Ball," Goku said. He suddenly perked up and started wriggling around. "Where is it?!"

"A dragon's what?"

"You know, a Dragon Ball! Don't you know about them?"

"Goku, shut up," Piccolo said, exasperatedly. If his hands were free, he'd be holding them to his face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but we have something just like it over here." The ball was handed off to one of the other cats. He walked up to the wall, pressed a stone, and a small compartment opened, revealing yet another Dragon Ball. He placed Goku's Dragon Ball next to it, and shut it, once again.

Angeau walked up to Goku and knelt in front of him. "So, these dragon's balls are valuable, are they not?"

"Well, yeah." Goku was still straining, trying to move around. "Hey, why can't I move?"

"Ohoho! We just scratched your necks with these." The cat raised its hand and revealed his long, sharp claws. "They contain an enzyme which causes paralysis in whoever they get scratched by. Don't worry – it's only temporary. If you cooperate with us, then you'll live to feel it wear off.

"Now, allow me to repeat my question: what are these dragon's balls?"

Goku lifted an eyebrow. "I don't think I should tell you…"

"Why ever not?"

"You seem like a mean person."

Piccolo let out a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't completely ignorant and clueless.

"Is that right? Well, if you won't talk, then maybe your friend will."

Suddenly, Angeau grabbed Goku by his hair, and lifted him up, making him wince and yelp. Piccolo was lifted up into a kneeling position, and kept there by two of the lackeys. Angeau reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. "Since you enjoy keeping things brief," he spat out, not even bothering to hide his bitterness. "Tell us what those dragon's balls are and we'll let you and your friend go. If not, well," He opened the knife and held it close to Goku's throat. "I think you can figure out the rest, yourself."

Piccolo cocked a brow. These idiots were incredibly unoriginal. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, of course."

"If you kill him, you won't be getting a word out of me. Also, you would kill the only other person who knows what the Dragon Balls are. You need us more than we need you – killing either of us would be foolish, to get what you want."

Piccolo and Goku locked eyes. The former knew something that the latter didn't, but he wasn't going to tell him, in this company. Yet, somehow, Goku understood he knew what he was doing. He would have to go with it.

Angeau lowered the knife. "No. No, this isn't how this is supposed to go. I'm the one holding you two as hostages. You're the one who's supposed to give into me. You're not making any damn sense."

"You're doing a piss-poor job, if that's the case. All you've done is stand around and pose. Pardon the expression, but you've got no bite behind your bark."

That got him angry. The other cats hissed at him, at that comment. "How dare you, bastard! You want to see bite?!" He lifted his knife up to Goku's throat, once more, almost cutting his flesh. Goku swallowed, trying to keep away from the blade. "Take that back, and maybe I'll let your friend live!"

"Just as I thought – you lose your cool way too easily. You're nothing more than a bunch of little punks with no attention to detail."

"Attention to de- what are you talking about?! What does that have to do with anything?!"

"How are you supposed to keep any hostages if you don't pay attention to any of their weaknesses? I bet your two goon haven't even noticed that they haven't been holding me up for a while, now."

The two cats holding Piccolo up looked down. Before they could say a word, Piccolo pushed his palms up and blasted them in their faces, making them fall over in pain. They lay on the floor, writhing and crying. He quickly pulled his wrists apart and broke the bindings of it.

"What?! Impossible!" Angeau dropped the knife and let Goku fall forward onto the ground. "How were you able to regain your body strength so soon? It takes most at least an hour!"

"Let's just say I'm not of this world."

Before Angeau realized he had dropped them, Piccolo stretched his arm out and pulled Goku towards him, pushing him behind him.

Angeau balled up his fists. "Dinde!" He pointed at the only cat that was still standing. "Kill that green bean! Make sure he can't come back from it!"

"With pleasure, Angeau." The cat crouched down, getting ready to pounce at him. Piccolo didn't even get into a fighting position. He just stayed on his knees, waiting for him to strike.

"Hey," Goku whispered. "Why aren't you getting ready for him?"

"Give it a second," he replied.

Dinde's tail bristled, and its eyes went wide in deranged excitement. "This is what you deserve for comparing us to dogs!" He leapt forward, aiming to pounce right on top of Piccolo.

Then, his trajectory was suddenly stopped, and he was thrown right into the hard stonewall. The impact left a large impression on the wall, and he flinched like a dying insect. Angeau looked back up, in disgust – a third challenger had made their presence known.

"Chi-Chi," Goku exclaimed. "You're here!"

Angeau raised a brow at the woman. "Are you with them? He scoffed. "If your friends weren't able to compete with me, then I can assure you that you will not stand an inkling of a chance."

Chi-Chi reached behind her back, and untied the swaddle. She carefully handed Gohan to Piccolo, without saying a word to him. Surprisingly, he was fast asleep. She took a fighting stance, glaring daggers at her new opponent. "It won't take long to put down a little delinquent like you."

He looked amused. "Oh, the little kitten has spunk! Oh, this is rich. But what a shame," he said, as he shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to mess up your pretty face just to prove a point. Perhaps a lesson can be learned from this."

She looked back at Goku and Piccolo one more time, before she lunged out, to attack. Angeau prepared to block a punch to his face, but she swung her leg out underneath him, knocking him off balance. He only had a second to regain his stance, but she shoved her elbow into his face, knocking him onto his back. He jumped back on to his feet, extended his claws, and started scratching at her. She dodged each of his swipes with ease.

Piccolo was actually impressed, by her skills. He never took her as a fighter, but she was moving with finesse and grace. Given her attitude and spunk, he supposed that it wasn't too out of character. When he glanced at Goku, he had a big grin on his face, and his eyes were wide with excitement.

Chi-Chi brought her knee up against his chin, knocking him off of his feet. She punched him twice more in the face, jumped up, swung her leg, and kicked him into the dirt, knocking him out cold. She landed and pressed her hands together.

"Whoa! That was incredible," Goku yelled.

She adjusted her hair, tucking loose strands back into her bun. She turned back to the others, and took Gohan back into her arms. "Are you two alright?"

Goku slowly shifted himself onto his knees. "Y-yeah. I think I'll be able to walk again, soon." He pulled his wrists apart and snapped the binding, flexing his arms and moving his fingers to gain feeling, again. He patted his pockets. "Oh, right. Hey, do you remember where he put the Dragon Balls?"

Piccolo slowly stood up, as he was gaining feeling in his legs, again. He walked up to the adjacent wall, and ran his fingers over the stone bricks. When he felt one that seemed loose, he pressed it. The small compartment opened, containing two Dragon Balls – the six-star ball and the one-star ball, bringing their count up to three. But there still wasn't any sign of the four-star ball.

It looked like they'd be out looking for another ball, tomorrow.


	12. Chapter 12

Once Goku regained most of the control of his legs, Chi-Chi led the party out of the ruins through, sure enough, a back entrance. Piccolo ignored Goku's smug look of "I told you so". It was already night by the time they left the ruins, so they set up a capsule house in a nearby forest. They ate the rest of the leftover dinosaur meat from the night before, and they were all ready to go to bed. Piccolo had slept on the couch, the night before, as both of the rooms were already occupied – one by Goku and Chi-Chi, and the other by Gohan. He didn't complain: he had slept in much worse conditions, before.

Piccolo was woken up in the middle of the night when the light from the fridge shined in his face. He blinked his eyes open, ready to yell at Goku for getting a midnight snack. Except when his vision cleared, he saw Chi-Chi taking out a jug of milk. She poured herself a small glass of it, before sticking the jug back into the fridge. She sighed, and leaned against the island countertop.

She looked up, and nearly choked on her drink, when she saw that Piccolo was awake. She set the glass down. "Did I wake you up," she whispered.

"No," he lied, sitting up on the couch.

She sighed. "You can't sleep, either?" She stood up straight and took a seat in a chair adjacent to the couch, running a hand down her face. "I am not used to this kind of excitement. I haven't experienced anything like this, in years."

Something had been poking the back of his mind, ever since he met Chi-Chi's father. He figured now was the best time to ask. "So your father is the Ox King."

She nodded. "At least, was. He doesn't do any of that old pillaging nonsense, anymore."

He figured that was the case, but it didn't answer his question. "Why aren't you with him?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your family is legendary and powerful. You're never thought to continue that legacy?"

She looked shocked that he'd even suggest that. "No, never. I'm happy with where I am. I have an amazing husband and a beautiful baby boy. What more could a woman ask for? Besides – my father and I aren't really proud of that legacy. Ever since Goku came along, he's tried hard to reverse all of the damage that his fathers caused. And, personally, I think he's succeeding."

That was a feeling Piccolo knew all too well. He thought back to the cheerful and welcoming man he had met, just a few days ago. If he could redeem himself that much, maybe there was still hope for him.

"And you said Goku made him change?"

She lifted her hand to her cheek, and looked off in the distance, as a small blush tinted her cheeks. "Oh, yes. It was how he and I met…"

Chi-Chi went into the story in great detail. The Ox King's castle was engulfed in powerful flames, so he and Chi-Chi could not go into their home. He had sent her off to go find his old martial arts teacher Master Roshi, for he was the only one who could put them out. She got lost along the way. Meanwhile, back at the mountain, Goku had arrived with his three accomplices and a pig named Oolong. When Ox King had realized that this was Son Gohan's grandson, he sent him out to go looking for her and take her to Master Roshi, as well.

They found each other quickly, and on their trek, they ran into a lost turtle. Out of the kindness of their hearts, they delivered him back to his friend – an old man who lived on his own with a turtle shell on his back. Chi-Chi quickly recognized him to be Master Roshi and told him that the Ox King needed his help. As repayment for returning his companion, he gave Goku Flying Nimbus and his Dragon Ball, and followed them back to the mountain.

Roshi gave his old student a stern talking-down-to, over continuing in his father's footsteps. He put out the flames using a powerful energy blast, allowing for Goku's traveling companions to retrieve the Dragon Ball that was located there. From that day on, the Ox King promised to abandon his family's traditions and live his life anew.

She sighed, wistfully. "He was so charming, even then. After he left, my father told me that I should marry that boy. It was such a long time ago, but I still remembered it like it was yesterday."

Her sentence ended with a yawn. "I guess I should be heading back to bed. Sorry, if I kept you up." She quickly got up, and set her empty glass in the sink. "Good night, Piccolo," she yawned, as she entered her room, again.

* * *

Piccolo woke up the next morning to a scream. His eyes opened and he sat up. From the hallway, the door to the bedroom slammed open, and Goku went running into the other room. Piccolo quickly got up, and followed them there.

"Chi-Chi, what's wrong?"

Chi-Chi was on her knees, holding her hair. "Gohan," she sobbed. "No, not my baby!"

Goku knelt down beside her, and held her shoulders. "What's happening? Is Gohan okay?"

She could barely speak, through her tears. "He… he's gone!"

Goku and Piccolo both looked up at the crib against the wall. Goku stood up and ran to the crib, to see, first hand. When he saw the empty cradle, his hands gripped the side of the bed, tightly. His eyes went wide with fear, and his face went pale. He ran out the door, desperately calling his name.

Strangely, Piccolo felt something sparking in him, as well. He never cared for the brat – he was an annoying nuisance and far too clingy, in his eyes. Despite this, he never wished harm upon the tiny infant. Seeing Chi-Chi's anguish and Goku's panic only made whatever he was feeling stronger. He still wasn't sure what it was.

He took a breath to calm himself, and walked into the room, carefully stepping around Chi-Chi. He looked around the room, hoping to find any clues to Gohan's whereabouts. Nothing was in the crib – only the stuffed monkey and a baby blanket. He looked out the window – there was no sign of a forced entry, and it was still locked.

Then, something caught his eye – there was something sticking out of the toy chest. He knelt down, and carefully removed it without damaging it. The mysterious object was a small piece of paper. He could see text peaking through, from the inside.

He walked out of the room, and up to the front door. "Goku," he yelled. Goku was still looking around the forest. When he heard his name called, he went back to the house. He was breathing heavily, and looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

"Did you find something," he asked, with urgency.

Piccolo handed him the small note. "It was sticking out from inside the chest."

Chi-Chi slowly stood up, wiping away her tears. "What is it," she said, hoarsely, as she came up, next to them.

Goku opened the note, and let them all read it. The text was written in a neat and fine manuscript. There was even a small ensign in the bottom corner of the paper. That did little to soften the blow of what the text actually red.

 _ **I have your son. Give us your Dragon Balls, and we'll let you have him back. We are in an old bunker, to the west of here. You better not keep us waiting!**_

After everything he had seen while being stuck in the Dragon Ball, one would think that Piccolo would have been used to things like this. This might have not been the lowest of lows, but it was a different kind of low. None of his masters ever resorted to kidnapping infants to gain what they wanted (though he was sure that a few of them were willing to do so). In this moment, he was grateful that they were still kept in secrecy.

The paper began to tear and crumple, in Goku's hands. He was shaking with a fury he didn't even think he was capable of having. His teeth were clenched tightly, and he looked as if he was ready to explode at any moment.

He looked up at the sky. "NIMBUS!"

Flying Nimbus flew down seconds later, stopping right in front of them. Goku immediately jumped on-board. Chi-Chi climbed on, as well. If it was possible, she looked even more furious than Goku did. Her red eyes and puffy cheeks did little to hid her obvious fury.

"Piccolo," Goku said, "I need you to start looking for the bunker. We'll search that way, but you need to look in the opposite direction. If you find it, flare your energy, and we'll meet you, there."

He nodded. He wasn't used to seeing Goku act so authoritative. It was a bit of a nice change of pace, in his opinion.

"I'll do the same, if we find it first." With that, Nimbus took off in a flash.

Piccolo started flying in the other direction. This was going to be a wild goose chase, looking for this bunker. They weren't given any directions or signs of what it was supposed to look like. He didn't even know what a bunker was. It could take them days to find wherever this was located. He knew they didn't have that kind of time.

He sighed, and closed his eyes. "Old man, I know you're listening," he said. "Make yourself useful and help us find the brat."

" _Well, Piccolo, I'm afraid I can't search for a specific energy if I am not familiar with it. I've never met Goku's young boy, so searching for him, in particular, would be difficult._ "

"Look, they said they're nearby. Can you find a cluster of energies that's anywhere close? That might narrow it down."

" _Alright. Let me look._ " Kami hummed, as he searched for what he was looking for. " _Well, there's a small group of people right below you – I think there may be four of them._ "

"I suppose that's as good as I'm going to get."

He lowered himself to the ground, and scanned his surroundings. There were only trees. However, he noticed something odd about a certain cluster of them. They looked off. He couldn't explain why, but they didn't look like they belonged there. He walked up to it, and tapped his fist against it. It didn't sound like he was hitting wood; it sounded more like metal. The image flickered slightly, as well.

He reeled his fist back, and punched the tree hard. The image glitched and flickered until it revealed a metal fixture, with a door in front of it. He quickly flared his ki.

In a matter of seconds, Nimbus came flying overhead. Goku jumped down, carrying Chi-Chi, in his arms. She jumped off of him, as the three looked at the small bunker.

"So," Piccolo said. "What's our plan?"

Chi-Chi rolled her shoulders back, and walked up to the door. She banged her fist against it. "WHERE'S MY BABY?! IF A SINGLE HAIR ON HIS HEAD IS OUT OF PLACE, YOU'RE GONNA BE SORRY!" She kept screaming at the door, and the metal began to dent, beneath her first.

The ground started shaking. The roof of the bunker opened, and a light shined from inside of it. Goku pried Chi-Chi off of the door, and pulled her back, as something slowly revealed itself. A large robot stood up straight, and rose into the air. Once it was completely out, it jumped out of the bunker and onto the ground. The trio jumped backwards, trying not to get squashed.

The sound of speaker feedback turned on. Something was fiddling with the microphone, cursing as it tried to get a handle on it. They grunted, as they finally got it out of wherever it was stuck. " _Ah, there we go,_ " muttered the person on the other end. They laughed. " _So, you finally decided to show up!_ " Now, they spoke with a theatrically evil flare in their speech. " _How wonderful that you will finally be able to witness the next step in achieving my empire! You are very lucky, indeed!_ "

Piccolo rolled his eyes. Not another one of these kooks.

" _For years, I have built up my armies and resources, and now, I will finally rule the Earth! All thanks to you!_ "

"What are you talking about? I only came here for one reason and one reason, only," Goku shouted. "Where is Gohan?!"

" _Oh, the boy is quite safe. He's sitting up here, with me. Isn't that right, Shu?_ " There was a long pause. " _I said: isn't that right, Shu?_ " Another long pause. " _SHU!_ "

Another voice came on the other end. " _Uh, yeah, sire! The little tike is safe and sound, right here! Isn't that right, you adorable, widdle thing?_ " An infant laughed.

Chi-Chi gasped. "Gohan! It's okay, sweetie! Mommy's coming to get you real soon!"

" _Ah, ah, ah: not until you've held up your end of the bargain. Now, give us your Dragon Balls!_ "

"I want to see my son, first," Goku said. "Put him down here, and we can do an exchange."

He groaned. " _Fine. Have it your way._ "

Piccolo looked over at Goku. "You're not serious about giving these morons the Dragon Balls, are you?"

"We can worry about that after I have my son back." He looked back at him with a hardened glare. Piccolo wisely shut up, after seeing that.

The mecha squatted on the ground, and plopped a basket down, in front of them. " _There's your son. Now, give me the Dragon Ball!_ "

Goku reached into his pocket, and pulled out a capsule. He gestured it out towards him, and the mecha quickly swiped it away from him. With the exchange over, Chi-Chi rushed down to the basket, quickly scooping up the moving bundle inside of it, and clutching it close to her.

" _Well, I'll be off! Ta-ta!_ " The mecha stepped over them and stomped away.

Goku and Piccolo knelt next to Chi-Chi, as she tearfully rocked her son. "My precious baby boy! It's okay! Mommy's here!" Goku put a hand on her shoulder, and she leaned against him. "I was so scared that we lost him…"

"Me, too…"

Piccolo looked back, at the retreating mecha. That was far too easy. These types were never that subservient to anyone else's wishes; they'd try and find a way to talk themselves out of holding up their end of the deal. There had to be some sort of catch. While Goku and Chi-Chi were still talking, he decided to follow them. Now, he had to know, for sure.

The mecha's movements were slowing down to a crawl. Its movements were growing jittery, and it wobbled back and forth, with every step. Eventually, the mecha came to a slow stop, and fell onto its knees.

Someone screamed, inside of the mecha. The top window opened, and a short, blue man with pointy ears jumped out and stomped onto the ground. "WHY HAS THIS STOPPED WORKING?! I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A PERFECT BUILD! WHAT ARE YOU LAZY BUMS GOOD FOR?!"

The middle window opened, containing an older woman with dark hair and dark eyes. She kept her head down. "I'm sorry, Emperor. I'll get to fixing it, right away."

The blue man stomped his foot once more, before walking to one of the mecha's arms. He pried the capsule out of its grip. He pressed the plunger, and threw it on the ground. Sure enough, their Dragon Balls were there. Pilaf grinned, as he knelt down, and held the balls, in his arms. "I suppose it's of no worry! The Dragon Balls are mine!" He laughed. "Only three more and I shall finally become emperor of the Earth!"

The woman knelt down, next to him, bowing her head. "I cannot wait to see the day that happens, emperor."

"Shu! Come out and celebrate, with us!"

The bottom window opened, and a dog wearing a ninja suit jumped out. Upon seeing the Dragon Balls, his tail began to wag. "Amazing, sire! I always knew you could do it!"

Piccolo's attention was taken away from the celebration. There was a very soft noise coming from inside of the mecha. It was faint, but it was there. He carefully stepped around, to get a better view of it. He could see something moving inside of the vessel, but he couldn't tell what it is.

It finally popped its head over the top of cockpit. Just as he had suspected, they didn't hold up their end of the bargain – Gohan was still sitting in the ship. He didn't look distressed or scared – he was more confused.

They locked eyes. Gohan immediately perked up, and started waving at him.

"Pikkoyo!"

Piccolo leaned backwards, with widened eyes. The brat had never spoken to anyone. Goku and Chi-Chi were constantly trying to bait him into saying something. He had overheard a few worried rants from her over Gohan being able to speak. Despite that, he had said his name, while waving at him. He could feel his cheeks getting hotter.

The blue man hit the dog over the head. "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO GIVE THEM THE BABY!"

"But he's so cute, sire! I couldn't give the little tike up!"

"DON'T YOU KNOW HOW BAD THIS WILL LOOK?! Other nations won't think I'm trustworthy. They'll think if I make a deal with them, I won't hold up my end. Then they'll start talking to other nations. And then, not even the Dragon Balls will be able to make me emperor!"

"Well, you know, sire," the dog said, as he walked back up to the ship, and picked Gohan up. "We might as well keep him, now that we have him. Playing with babies and all that stuff is great for publicity!"

Now was probably as good of a time as any to step in. Piccolo stood up, and walked to them. "That won't be necessary. I'll be taking the brat, from here."

The trio of villains looked up at Piccolo and balked, at his size. Gohan clapped his hands and kicked around in joy, unintentionally hitting the dog in the stomach a few times.

"What makes you think you'll be able to take him from me, you overgrown green bean?!"

Piccolo pointed his finger up. Gohan started floating into the air. The dog tried to pull it back down, but he fell onto his back. He waved his arms in the air a few times and looked down, unsure of what was going on. He floated across the small plain of grass until Piccolo was able to grab him, holding him under his arm. Gohan immediately started giggling again, and snuggled closely into Piccolo's hip.

The dog and the woman grabbed each other, in fear. The blue man stepped backwards, growing even bluer in the face. "He's a witch! There's no other explanation!"

"E-emperor," the woman stuttered. "What do we do, now?"

The blue man immediately threw his hands up and started running away, leaving the Dragon Balls on the ground. The remaining two looked down at the balls, then back at their retreating leader. Soon, they, too, started running after him, begging him not to leave them behind.

Piccolo grunted. Just like always: show a little bit of authority and power to these spoiled brats, and they'll run away with their tails tucked between their legs.

"GIVE ME BACK MY BABY!"

Chi-Chi jumped out from behind the trees, and landed on the ground, in a pure, unbridled fury. She threw the blanketed bundle onto the ground, revealing some electronics inside of it. They sparked and flickered, as the parts moved around on their own. Her fists were to her sides, and her teeth were tightly clenched. He swore that he could see the faintest flicker of an aura around her.

"You just missed them," Piccolo said.

She looked over at him. Upon seeing her son, she ran towards him, grabbed Gohan, and pushed Piccolo to the ground. She nuzzled her cheek against his, making the infant smile. "Oh, Gohan! I'm so sorry! From now on, you're never leaving my sight!"

Goku came running over, shortly after, looking even more panicked than he was, earlier. After seeing Gohan, he breathed out, in relief. Without hesitation, he pulled his wife closer to him, resting his hand on his son's head. Gohan reached out to him, and Chi-Chi carefully handed him to her husband. Goku looked as if he was trying desperately hard not to cry, as he held his son.

Piccolo stood up, and brushed the dust off of him. He picked up the discarded Dragon Balls, holding them under his hand. As he walked over to join them, he noticed that they were glowing, once again. He took a step backwards, and the glowing slowed down. He took a step forward, and the glowing sped up, once again.

He looked up at the ship, and a theory popped into his head.

He peaked into each of the windows, looking through the cockpits one by one. As he floated higher in the air, the flickering became more static. When he reached the top cockpit, he stuck his hand inside, and started moving it around, trying to feel for something. It was too small for him to see the interior, completely, so this was the only way he could know.

His hand touched something, and it rolled away. Using his quick reflexes, he caught it and slowly pulled it out. Just as he had expected, he was holding another Dragon Ball. He turned it over in his hands: four stars were engraved into its face.

He lowered himself to the ground. "Goku," he said. Goku and Chi-Chi looked at him, as he turned around. "Is this what you were looking for?" He held out his hand, showing him the Dragon Ball.

Goku handed Gohan back to Chi-Chi and stepped closer to him, to get a better look. His eyes widened and a large smile grew on his face. "Hey, alright! You found it!" He grabbed the Dragon Ball out of Piccolo's hands and jumped into the air, holding it to the sky. "Woohoo! We got the four-star ball!" As soon as he landed, once again, he hugged Piccolo tightly, who tried to get out of his tight grasp. "You did it, Piccolo! Thank you so much!"

Gohan wriggled around in Chi-Chi's arms, reaching out towards Piccolo. "Pikkoyo!"

Goku immediately stopped what he was doing, and looked at his son. Chi-Chi looked shocked, as well. "Gohan," she said, shifting him up. "What did you just say?"

He waved and reached out, further. "Pikkoyo! Pikkoyo!"

Chi-Chi lifted her hand to her mouth, looking between her son and Piccolo. Goku let go of Piccolo, and looked at him, as if he wanted an explanation. He closed his eyes and shifted his head down.

"That is too precious!" Chi-Chi walked up to him and held Gohan out, towards him. "What's his name, Gohan?"

"Pikkoyo!" He started kicking, trying to get his attention. Piccolo glanced at him. Gohan closed his eyes and clapped his hands.

Goku laughed, and put his hand on his shoulder. "What do you know? His first words are your name!"

Piccolo put his head down and gritted his teeth. This was mortifying. He didn't know which was worse – the bouncing brat or the fact that he thought it was kind of cute.

Goku tossed the Dragon Ball into the air. "Well, we've got what we came here, for! How about we head back home?"

Chi-Chi shifted Gohan so that his stomach was leaning against her torso. She sighed. "Yes. I've had enough excitement for a while."

"Oh, come on. You have to admit that it was a little fun. I haven't had that much adventure in a while." He slapped Piccolo on his back. "And we couldn't have done it without you, Piccolo! Thanks for coming along!"

He breathed out, through his nose. He wasn't used to this kind of praise.

Goku patted him on the back twice more. "Anyway, let's get going: we should be home in time for dinner!"

Piccolo trailed behind, on the flight back home. It was strange for him to use that term, but he supposed that there was no other way to refer to it. This adventure had been a lot more eventful than he anticipated. At least he gained some peace of mind, knowing that the Dragon Balls would be out of villainous clutches, for the time being – even if they were about as useful as a rock to them, in their current state.

He had begun to understand what attracted someone like Goku to these kinds of searches. For the first time in years, he had felt accomplishment. Regardless of how small or incomplete the task might have seemed, he felt satisfied, knowing that they had succeeded in their mission. When Goku had said they'd only look for one of the balls, he had thought that he was mad. Why would someone go through all of that trouble only to stop at only one piece of the puzzle? Because it wasn't about the wishes – it was about the adventure and the experiences gained along the way.

To think that he once scoffed at that sentimental garbage.


	13. Chapter 13

Helloooo everyone. Early update this week just because I felt like it. I am happy to say that I am only a few chapters away from finishing this story. I might have the proper sequel to A Thrilling Chase up by the time it's finished, as well, but there might be a little bit of a grace period, give or take. I'm making decent progress on that story, as well, so you can look forward to seeing that hopefully soon.

Thank you all for the wonderful comments, as usual - all feedback is greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

Things quickly returned to their normal pace, in the Son family household. The extra Dragon Balls were kept in a locked case, hidden underneath some of the furniture. Goku gave the four-star ball to Gohan, settling to put it on a red hat that he always wore. Then, they all went back to their lives, without a care in the world. Piccolo thought it a bit reckless that they weren't giving the Dragon Balls much care, but he supposed that there wasn't anything else they could do. Without any wishes that needed granted, the best they could do was hold onto them, for the time being.

A few more weeks of the same old grind passed. Piccolo would spend most of the day meditating, occasionally joining Goku in training or Chi-Chi in running errands. Then, he'd join them for dinner, only saying a few words as they talked about their day. After a bit more evening peace, he'd turn in and sleep in his own bed. He hadn't found the routine mundane. It was actually a bit pleasant to have constants to expect every day. He had never been afforded that luxury, until now. He must have been going soft.

However, one night, his schedule was broken. When he came in, during the late afternoon, he usually expected to see Chi-Chi in the kitchen, working on getting dinner ready. He had actually begun joining her, in her preparations. Instead, the kitchen was empty. The dishes were all clean and taken care of, and there wasn't any sign that any kind of cooking was about to begin.

Even more questions were brought on, when Chi-Chi came running out from the back, dressed in a robe and six-inch heels. She grabbed a bag off of the end table, and started fishing around in it for something. She sighed, in relief, and quickly put it back down.

She was wearing more make-up than usual, with powdered blush on her cheeks and a deep red gloss on her lips. He could make out a hint of a gold dress underneath the white robe. He looked down at her tall shoes. How she was able to stand up straight in those things was a mystery, to him. Once again, he underestimated her strength and balancing skills.

"What's with the shoes," he finally asked.

Chi-Chi glanced at Piccolo. "Goku and I are going out, tonight," she said. "Finally, if you ask me – it's been way too long coming."

That explained it. It was far from the most extreme transformations he had seen women taken to impress their men: that was for sure. He looked down. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to that.

"Oh, by the way," she said. "Are you staying here in the night? You wouldn't mind looking after Gohan, right?"

His jaw dropped, and his eyes widened. This was a strange thing to drop in his lap so suddenly. "What?!"

"You live with us, don't you? Then it's high time you start to pull your own weight around, caring for our son. It's only fair, don't you think?"

He tried to make a comeback, but she left the room, before he could. He stared at her retreating form, before groaning. He closed his eyes and ran his hand down his face.

Already, he could tell that this was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Gohan likes his carrots warm, but not too hot. If he gets fussy, try to hold him. He usually only likes being held by Goku, or me, but at least try it. He should be in bed by seven. Make sure there are no hard toys in his crib, and that he has at least one of his stuffed animals with him – he won't sleep without it. Stay with him until he falls asleep, and check up on him every ten minutes. If anything happens, we'll be at these places." She handed him a list of phone-numbers, complete with timestamps. "Call them, and as for me or the Sons. If there's an emergency, call the number, next to the phone. You've got all of that?"

"Crystal," he muttered. His head was spinning, trying to remember the novel's worth of information that she had just listed off to him. If she was so specific with how the brat was cared for, why was she still going out?

Goku put his hands on his wife's shoulders. He was dressed in a nice suit – something Piccolo never thought he would see him wear. "Don't worry so much, Chi-Chi. He'll be fine."

She sighed. "I know, I know…"

Gohan was sitting in his playpen, staring up at Piccolo. He kept glancing at him, hoping he'd avert his gaze. He had no idea how he was going to get through tonight.

Relief came when Goku knelt down in front of him, and patted his head. "Now, be good for Piccolo. Don't cause him too much trouble. Understand?" Gohan just smiled and laughed, as his hair was tossed.

"We should be back around nine. Remember, if you need," Chi-Chi stopped herself, and took a deep breath. "Just… just stay safe. We'll see you, in a bit."

Goku put his arm around Chi-Chi's waist. "Come on! Let's get going!" Chi-Chi covered her flushing face, as he led her out of the house. From outside, Nimbus flew down, and then flew off with the young couple sitting aboard.

Piccolo looked back down at Gohan, who had resumed staring at him. He was certainly watching the brat. What was he supposed to do, now?

Chi-Chi said something about carrots, in the fridge. He stood up, and walked into the kitchen. Before he could take two steps, Gohan started making noises. He was extending his stubby arms forward, and rocking himself in his direction. Piccolo sighed, turned around, walked back over to him, and picked him up, holding him under his arm. Gohan started giggling and kicking around.

He set Gohan down in his high chair, and walked over to the fridge. He grabbed the bag of baby carrots, and set it on the counter. Luckily, he had seen Chi-Chi prepare this several times, so he vaguely knew what to do. He pulled the blender on the kitchen countertop forward, and took off the top. Not knowing how much Gohan needed, he threw all of the carrots into the pitcher, and closed the top.

When he pressed the start button, the hard carrots knocked around the sides of the pitcher, and the top started coming off. Piccolo slammed his hand down on it, trying to keep it from coming off. Thankfully, violent shaking began to subside, and the carrots were smoothed into a thick mash. Piccolo grabbed a random plate sitting on the counter, scooped the mashed carrots out of the blender, and went back over to Gohan.

He sat the plate on the table of the high chair. "There you go," he said, moving to sit in another chair.

Gohan looked down at the carrots. He grabbed a fistful of the carrots and pressed it into his mouth, getting some of it on his cheeks. He looked over at Piccolo; he nodded and glanced down at the food. Gohan seemed to perk up, and started eating more of the carrots.

Piccolo cleared his throat, to get his attention; Gohan was getting a lot of his meal on his face. Piccolo brushed his pointer and middle finger from his cheek to the corner of his mouth. He repeated the gesture, and was surprised to find more food in his hands. He did the same on the other cheek, finding the same results. Piccolo let out a small chuckle – it was a little amusing to see him put two-and-two together, as he just did.

Soon, the plate was clean. Piccolo got up and took the dirty dish away from him, dumping it in the sink. He picked Gohan back up, and walked back over to the playpen. He set Gohan down, in the middle of a blanket. He turned back around, intended to sit on the couch and meditate. Gohan could entertain himself, for a while.

"Pikkoyo?"

He stopped, and looked over his shoulder. Gohan was holding onto a small book and holding it out towards him. He rocked himself forward, to emphasize his request.

Piccolo sighed, and walked back over to the playpen, taking the book from his hands. He opened the wooden book, and began to read the text.

"This is the fox," he said. "The fox is red. The fox likes to run and play." He raised a brow, and quickly thumbed through the rest of the book – the entire prose was written in this manner. He glanced down at Gohan. He was sitting quietly, with a smile on his face, waiting for him to continue. He sighed, once more, and continued reading.

Once he finished the book, he tossed it onto the carpet. Gohan was clapping and bouncing up and down. At least someone enjoyed that story. If that was what kids were being read, then it was a miracle that most of them were literate.

Then, Gohan's bouncing came to a stop. He accidentally fell onto his back. In a few seconds, he started crying.

Piccolo's eyes widened. What was he supposed to do? He brought his hand up to his head, trying to concentrate and block out the noise. His mind raced, trying to remember what Chi-Chi had told him to do, when he started crying.

" _If Gohan starts crying, you check his diaper, first – I won't risk you leaving him to get a rash._ "

He groaned. He was really hoping he wouldn't have to do this. He stood back up, picked Gohan up, and carried him to his room. He continued to scream and cry right into his ear, making him wince. He could only grit his teeth and try to ignore it. It would be over soon enough.

Piccolo put him down into the changing table. He didn't know how to take the diaper off. As he tried to look for any tabs to pull on, he saw that something was pressing against the diaper. Great – so it was a full diaper. Eventually, he found a tab. As he braced himself for the worst, he pulled it off in one move. He closed his eyes and moved his head to the side.

Luckily, Gohan stopped crying immediately as the diaper was off. When Piccolo opened his eyes, he dropped the used diaper onto the floor, in shock. There was something stuck in there, to be sure, but it wasn't excrement.

Instead, Gohan had a brown, furry tail moving freely in the small of his back.

"What the hell…?" Piccolo just stared at the furry appendage. He blinked several times, to make sure he wasn't imagining it. This didn't make any sense. He didn't remember seeing Goku or Chi-Chi having tails. His mind raced, as he tried to piece together how this was possible.

Gohan yawned, and rolled onto his back, his tail wrapping around him. He rubbed his eyes with his fist. When Piccolo glanced at the window, he saw that it was already dark.

He sighed. He'd leave him without a new diaper, for now – having that tail contained clearly made him upset. Goku and Chi-Chi could handle it, later. He picked him up, carrying him over to his crib, setting him down gently. He immediately remembered what Chi-Chi told him, and grabbed a random stuffed animal off of the floor, tossing it in next to him. Gohan immediately held onto it, wrapping his tail around it and squeezing it tightly. He leaned his head against the plush monkey, and began to drift to sleep.

Piccolo began to move to the other side of the room – there was a rocking chair in the corner, where he could sit and watch over him. As he walked away, Gohan started babbling at him. Piccolo looked over his shoulder. He had rolled over, and was crawling towards the edge of the crib. He stuck his hands through the bars, pushing them forward. He looked tired, but he was still reaching for him.

He sighed, as he walked back over to the crib. He picked up him, and walked over to the rocking chair, sitting down in it. He tried to imitate how he'd seen Goku and Chi-Chi hold him; one arm supporting his head, while his hand held his legs. The chair rocked back and forth, as he shifted his weight in the seat.

Gohan smiled, before snuggling into his chest. Piccolo felt something wind around his arm. When he glanced down, he saw that his tail was wrapped around his forearm.

The corner of Piccolo's mouth turned up, slightly. "There was a time when I would have destroyed your home without hesitation," he said, quietly. "I guess I should be thankful you never knew me, then…"

Gohan didn't respond. He had finally fallen asleep. Piccolo looked back up at the crib. He could have moved him back there, without any trouble. However, something stopped him from standing up. Instead, he just continued to sit there, rocking gently in the chair, and holding the tiny, sleeping infant. He brought a finger to his cheek, and rubbed it, slightly. Gohan grimaced for a moment, but his face relaxed, again.

He had never known what peace truly was: not until this moment.


	14. Chapter 14

Hey. In case you didn't notice, this story has a cover as drawn by your truly. I also updated A Thrilling Chase's cover to match this one. I've uploaded both onto my Tumblr, obiwanskenobi, so you can go check them out, there.

* * *

The doorbell rang. Piccolo looked up, in surprise. That was a rare noise to hear, out in the middle of nowhere. They never received visitors.

"Can you get that," Chi-Chi asked. She was preoccupied with re-stitching one of Goku's gis.

Without any groans or sighs, he stood up and went to the door.

When he opened the door, he saw a mailman standing on the other side. He was carrying a satchel over his shoulder. There was a bicycle leaning up against a tree. The mailman looked sweaty and hot, but he was still cheery and amiable. He smiled. "Hello, sir! Is this the Son residence?"

He glanced around. "Yeah."

"Great!" He reached into his satchel, and pulled out a letter. "I have a letter for a, uh, Mr. Son Goku." He handed it to him. "I was told to get it to him as quickly as possible. Thank you! Have a pleasant day, sir!" He turned around, got back onto his bike, and pedaled down the dirt road.

"You should go find Goku," Chi-Chi said. "It sounded important. Tell him to start heading home soon, while you're at it."

Piccolo nodded. He crossed through the living room, and went out the back door. He jumped into the air and flew away. He had left with Gohan, a few hours ago. He didn't even need to track his energy; he knew where he liked to fish.

Sure enough, he found him, at the nearby river. He jumped out of the water, carrying a large fish. Gohan was sitting against a tree on a blanket, playing with some random toys. Goku shook the water out of his hair, and hauled the fish over his shoulder.

Piccolo landed, nearby. Goku smiled. "Hey, Piccolo!" He walked up to him. "What are you doing here? Do you need something?"

He showed him the letter. "This came by, for you. And Chi-Chi wants you home."

Goku took the letter and looked at it. He stuck it in his pocket. "I'll read it, when we get back." He went back under the tree, and took Gohan. "Hey, could you get Gohan's toys? My hands are kind of full." Piccolo knelt down, and grabbed the blanket, with the toys inside of it.

Goku, Piccolo, and Gohan made it back home in no time. Chi-Chi went to work, preparing the fish for cooking, while Goku and Piccolo stayed in the parlor. Goku took out the letter from his pocket, and Piccolo was rocking Gohan's cradle with his foot.

"We don't get a lot of mail," Goku said, as he examined the envelope. "Wonder what it could be?" There wasn't a return address – just for the post office from where the letter was sent. He tore off one of the ends of the envelope, and pulled out a small note that was folded in half. He flattened it out on his thigh, and read it.

His eyes widened. "No way!" He leaned his face closer to the note, as he read through it multiple times. "That's awesome!"

Hearing the commotion, Chi-Chi paused in her task, and walked back into the parlor. She was wiping her hands on her apron. "What is it, Goku?"

"It's from Master Roshi! He said he wanted to bring the whole gang together at Kame House, tomorrow! He said that everyone's gonna be there!"

"Tomorrow?" She scoffed. "A bit short noticed, but I wouldn't expect anything less from that pervert…"

Goku stood up, and clasped his hands together. "Can I go, Chi-Chi? It's been too long since, I've seen the others! Pretty please?"

She sighed, and shook her head. "I don't see why not, I guess…"

Goku jumped. "Yahoo! I can't wait to see everyone, again!"

"But," she said. "You have to take Gohan with you, too."

"Okay! I was gonna ask if I could bring him along." Goku looked down at Piccolo. "You should come, too! They'd totally love you!"

Truth be told, he would have preferred to stay home with Chi-Chi. He wasn't too interested in meet any of his companions; and, of course, he was still a bit burnt by his previous public outings to feel truly comfortable. But the look on his face told him that he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. "Sure," he said, reluctantly.

* * *

Piccolo and Goku flew off to Kame House together, the next day. Gohan was sitting in Goku's lap, while he road on Nimbus. The flight to their destination was a long one. Anytime Piccolo thought that they were getting close, another half-hour would pass by. He wished that either of them knew something like teleportation; it would cut down on the annoying flying time, to be sure.

Meanwhile, Piccolo's curiosity was getting the better of him. He was going to be walking in on a group of old friends of which he was not a part. He wanted a little bit of context, before they got there.

"So," he asked, "who is Master Roshi?"

"Oh. He was my martial arts teacher. I met him, when I was first looking for the Dragon Balls. After that was done, I went to go be his student. He's really smart; he's been around for a long time. He actually trained my grampa and Ox King, too!"

"How long until we get there?"

He looked up. "I dunno. Maybe a few more minutes? Just keep looking down. He lives in the middle of the ocean. You'll know it, when you see it!"

At least that narrowed it down, a bit. He was a little interested in knowing what this martial arts teacher was like. From the memories he and Kami shared, he knew that Earth had a number of talented martial artists. Though he may have seen stronger in his lifetime, what they lacked in power, they made up for in technique. He could see that first-hand, with Goku. Even using his full power, Goku could still manage a narrow victory, during some sparring sessions. Meeting his master might give him some insight into it.

"Hey, we're here!"

Piccolo looked down. Goku was not exaggerating, when he implied it stuck out. In the middle of the water, there was a small island. On the island, there was a modest house, with pink sidings and a white weathervane on the roof. A few seagulls circled overhead, as the waves gently rolled onto the shore and back into the sea. For a small island in the middle of the ocean, it was surprisingly tranquil.

Goku flew Nimbus towards the ground, and hopped off, holding Gohan in one arm. Piccolo landed gracefully, next to him.

"Hey, hold Gohan, for a second." Goku handed the infant to Piccolo. Gohan had fallen asleep, during the flight, and was beginning to wake up, again. Piccolo rubbed his finger against his cheek, making Gohan smile. Piccolo smirked down at him. When he looked back up, Goku had a cheesing grin on his face. Piccolo pouted, and turned his head away, getting a chuckle out of him.

Goku walked towards the house. "Hello! Anyone in there," he yelled, with a singsong tone.

Piccolo heard something drop, from inside the house, following by a pattern of sprinting footsteps. The door flew open, and two young men came running out. One of them was short, with a baldhead and six dots on his forehead. The other was taller, with long hair pulled back into a ponytail, and a scarred face. They were dressed in gis similar to the one Goku usually wore.

They perked up immediately, when they saw Goku. They shouted his name, and ran towards him, tackling him in a hug. Goku stumbled backwards, before regaining his balance. It did not take long for him to return the hug, and squeeze them both, tightly.

"It's been way too long," Goku said. "Man, how have you guys been?"

The taller man laughed. "You're one to talk, Goku. You might as well have fallen off the face of the Earth!"

"Yeah," the shorter man chimed in. "You never gave us any way to talk to you, after the last tournament. What gives?"

Goku rubbed the back of his neck, and laughed, awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess. I've just been busy."

"There's my prodigal pupil!"

An old man walked out of the house, using a walking stick. He had a long white beard and was completely balding. He was dressed in a plain t-shirt, shorts, flip-flops, and red-rimmed sunglasses.

Goku pushed past the other boys, clasped his hands, and bowed. "Master Roshi! It's an honor to see you, again."

"Goku, you've long surpassed me; you don't need to bow, anymore."

"But it's been too long. I've missed this place, a lot."

Roshi shrugged. "Don't be such a stranger, then. You don't need to wait for an invitation, you know."

"So," the shorter man said, hitting Goku on his elbow. "How have you been? Hope the married life has been treating you well."

"I've been great," he said. After a few seconds, his eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. "Right! I want to introduce you to some people!" He walked back to the other side of the island, over to where Piccolo was standing. He took Gohan back, balancing him on one of his shoulders. "Don't worry – they'll love you," he whispered, before walking them over to the others. Piccolo cringed, as he got closer, expecting the worst.

To his relief, they all focused on Gohan. They blinked and looked at the tiny infant with confused expressions.

"Hey," the tall man said. "Who's the kid?"

"Yeah, you babysitting, or something," the short man asked.

Goku chuckled, and glanced at Gohan. "He's my son."

Their jaws dropped, their eyes widened, and they went rigid, in shock. Piccolo snorted, and covered his mouth. It was comical.

Goku paid no mind to it. "Crazy, right?"

He walked closer to them, wanting to introduce his son to his friends. Gohan buried his face in his father's shoulder, as the men stared at him. In the back of his head, Piccolo couldn't help but remember that Gohan was never shy, around him. A small bit of pride bloomed in his chest, at the thought.

"Hey," Goku whispered, as he rubbed his back. "It's okay. They're not gonna hurt you."

The reassuring words must have helped, as Gohan managed to peak his head out and look at the staring strangers.

"His name is Gohan."

"Gohan, eh," Roshi said. "Named him after your old grandpa?"

"Yep! It was my idea, too."

The taller man leaned in closer to him. Gohan flinched back, slightly. "Well, he certainly takes after you, in terms of looks." Gohan continued to stare at him, unsure of what to do. The tall man put his palm out towards him. Hesitantly, he gave him a small high-five.

The short man tilted his head, to the side. "He's a little shy though, isn't he?"

"I think he gets that from Chi-Chi," Goku said.

Roshi laughed. "Well, congratulations, Goku. I honestly didn't think you had it in you!"

Piccolo rolled his eyes, at the innuendo. Goku might have been a bit thick, but he wasn't that oblivious. He shuttered, recounting the couple of nights he had to sleep outside, because of his and Chi-Chi's late-night activities.

"Oh, and there's one more person, too." Goku looked behind him, and gestured for Piccolo to step forward. He pushed back a groan, and joined the rest of the group.

"So, this is Master Roshi," he gestured at the old man. Roshi lifted his walking stick, in a hello.

"This is Krillin," he pointed at the short bald man. "He's my oldest training buddy; we were under Roshi's training, together."

Krillin waved. "Hey, what's up?"

"And this is Yamcha," he pointed at the taller man with the scars. "We met when I was first looking for the Dragon Balls. He got to join in on the training later."

"Yo," Yamcha said, with a nod. "Who are you? Haven't seen you, before."

Goku gestured towards Piccolo. "This is Piccolo. He's been living with us for a while, now."

Roshi stepped backwards, in shock. "P-PICCOLO?!" Piccolo quirked a brow. What was this old man yelling about?

Once again, Goku paid no mind to it. "Uh-huh! He's related to Kami. I invited him to stay with us, after he said he didn't have a home. Kami said it was a good idea, and I think it worked out good! Right, Piccolo?"

"Sure," he answered. He was still wondering what the old man's deal was. He was staring at him, frozen and trembling. He was more than used to the odd looks and jeers, but he was acting as if he already knew him. And, as far as he was aware, he had never seen this man in his life.

"I thought I noticed a resemblance," Krillin said, with his hands on his hips. He walked up to him. "Well, it's nice to meet you!"

Piccolo nodded. "Likewise."

"Maybe we should head inside," Yamcha said. "We can catch up in there, for a while. Right, Roshi?"

Roshi cleared his throat, trying to act natural, again. It seemed like Piccolo was the only one who noticed how strange he had started acting. "Yeah, of course. Let's do that. Come inside, please."

The men sat down around a small table, catching up on all the goings-on of their lives. Goku was hoarding most of the snacks, though no one else was shocked that he did so. Gohan was left free to crawl around the parlor, at his leisure. Piccolo still decided it was best to stay close to Goku; he didn't quite feel comfortable enough around the others to get too close to them.

"Hey," Goku said, with his mouth full. "Where's Launch? Haven't seen her since I got here."

Krillin waved his hand. "She's been gone. She went chasing after Tien Shinhan a long time ago."

Goku laughed, still with giant gobs of food in his mouth. "That sounds like her!"

"I sent her an invite, but I guess it didn't get to her, in time," Roshi said.

Yamcha scoffed. "Only 'cause it was so last minute. You're lucky my date cancelled on me, or I wouldn't have been able to come."

Krillin jabbed him with his elbow. "Still haven't tied down a girl yet, have you? I thought you'd get lucky, by now."

He sighed. "I thought so too…"

Goku swallowed his food, washing it down with a glass of water. "It's not that hard, Yamcha. Maybe you just haven't found her, yet."

"Easy for you to say. You didn't have to go looking for your wife."

He laughed, and scratched the back of his head. "I guess."

Gohan crawled over next to Yamcha. His eyes lit up, when he saw the four-star ball on his hat. "Hey, I can't believe I didn't notice that!" He picked him up and put him on his lap. Gohan looked startled, not expecting to be held by a total stranger. The infant looked a little uncomfortable. His tail was bristled slightly, and he was stiff. Piccolo ignored the urge to snatch him back, and hoped the human would take a hint.

Yamcha pointed at the hat. "Is that a Dragon Ball?"

"Yep! We went looking for it, a few weeks ago. You should have been there. It was eventful. Right, Piccolo?" Piccolo grunted, affirmatively.

"Man, that takes me back," Yamcha said. "We sure got into a lot of antics back in those days, didn't we?"

Goku laughed, taking Gohan back. Immediately, the infant seemed to relax, and his tail went limp.

Krillin took notice of it, too. "Hey, Goku," he said. His voice was a bit shaky and nervous, though he was trying to hide it. He pointed at the furry appendage. "Is that a tail?"

"Uh-huh. Just like the one I used to have. He grew it, a while ago. Cool, huh?"

This was certainly news to Piccolo. When they discovered the tail, Goku never mentioned anything about him having one. "You had a tail," he asked.

He shrugged. "Yeah. It got cut off a long time ago, though."

"So, uh," Yamcha said, awkwardly. "You didn't happen to notice any changes to him recently, have you?"

Goku titled his head. "Like what?"

"You know," Roshi said, sounding just as apprehensive as before. "Like when he sees a full moon or anything?"

Goku looked up, as he thought of an answer. "No, but we go to bed pretty early."

The three of them looked at each other, in shock and surprise. When Goku asked them why they were curious, they went back to acting natural, pretending as if their question didn't matter. Piccolo bit back a groan. Humans were terrible liars.

Still, his curiosity was still there. He had wondered why Gohan had a tail ever since it had started growing. Now, he at least knew it was genetic, but that still didn't sate his questions. Humans didn't have tails, so what made Goku different? And why were they so worked up over a full moon?

As he thought about it more, he slumped backwards. Suddenly, it started making sense. He had started piecing together all of Goku's quirks: the humungous appetite, the enthusiasm for a fight, the more-than-above-average strength, the possession of a tail, and something odd happening, during a full moon.

Goku had to be a goddamn Saiyan.

He might have scoffed at this idea before, but there were far too many similarities for it to be a coincidence. Even his appearance, with the never-growing hair, tough skin, and dark eyes, fit the bill. The only thing he was questioning now was why he never made this connection, before.

"Hey, you alright, Piccolo?" Goku shoved him, for a moment. He blinked and looked over at him. "You kind of spaced out, for a second."

Piccolo sighed. "I'll tell you, later." He'd stay quiet for now, but he might have to pry him for more information, later. He had to know if his theory was correct.

The get-together turned out to be somewhat pleasant. Piccolo chimed in a few times to comment, but he mostly listened to the others stories and conversations. The only awkwardness was the weird looks he was getting from Master Roshi. He still didn't understand what his deal was. Maybe he'd ask Goku about it, later.

As the sun was beginning to set, the group decided that it was time to start heading back to their homes.

Yamcha hugged Goku, on his way out. "Don't stay away for too long. I don't want to wait another two years to see you, again."

"I'll try not to!"

"Oh yeah," Krillin said. "Are you gonna be at the tournament? We missed you, last year."

"I don't know… I want to, but I should probably ask Chi-Chi, first. If I can, you know I'll be there!"

"That's the Goku we all love. Take care, man." Yamcha walked over to his hover car. He jumped into the driver's seat, buckled in, and drove away. Goku waved at him, as he sped over the water.

Piccolo leaned against the house, waiting for Goku to finish his tedious goodbyes. He was holding Gohan, who had fallen asleep during the get-together. Though today wasn't all that bad, he still wanted to get home sooner than later. He didn't understand why he had to stand around talking for so long; they had spent the entire afternoon catching up.

Roshi walked over to Goku. "Goku, can I speak to you for a moment, in private?"

"Sure, Master Roshi, what is it?"

"Just follow me. We can speak inside."

Piccolo rolled his eyes. If he was going to take this long, he was going to go home, without him. He was sure that Chi-Chi would understand. His impressive hearing picked up on the conversation, even when the door and windows shut.

" _So, uh, Goku – how much do you know about Piccolo?_ "

" _Well, I know he's related to Kami. And I know he's really strong._ "

" _You don't know anything about his life? At all?_ "

" _No, he doesn't really talk about it much. Kami never really brought him up before either, now that I think about it._ "

Roshi sighed. " _Goku, I want you to promise me that you'll be careful, around him. He could be too much for even you to handle._ "

" _Wait. Why would I need to handle him?_ "

" _Trust me – there's a reason why Kami wouldn't talk of him. I pray you never have to learn that the hard way._ "

Piccolo's eyes widened. His heart jumped, in his chest. Was that why he was acting so strange, around him? Did he know about his past? It was impossible. It happened over a century ago. The only people alive that remembered it were Kami and Mr. Popo. It was only spoken about in vague legends, among most; the name 'Piccolo' had been lost. How could he have known? It made no sense.

" _Oh…kay, but I don't see why you're so worried about it. Piccolo's a good guy!_ "

" _If you think so. Just be careful, Goku._ "

Goku came back out of the house, and Piccolo tried to relax himself, again. "Hey, you ready to go, Piccolo?"

He nodded. Now, more than ever, he wanted to get back home.


	15. Chapter 15

Another early update because I just got too excited about this chapter and wanted to post it now. Quick side note - quite a bit of this chapter might not make much sense, if you haven't read A Thrilling Chase. Sooooo go do that, if you haven't already. There's a couple references to that story's events in both this and upcoming chapters. There is your warning. Enjoy!

* * *

Piccolo had been on edge, since the get-together. He had tried his best to keep it to himself, but his anxiety was so high that it might not have made a difference. Neither Goku nor Chi-Chi said anything to him about it, so he hoped that was a sign of their ignorance to his turmoil.

He had wanted to take his secrets to his grave. What had happened in the past didn't matter. His father was long dead. The world had recovered from his destruction. What had happened was only spoken of as stories and legends. Yet, the revelation that even one man knew who he was and feared him because of it was enough to worry him. He didn't fear any consequences from the law or vigilante justice; he could handle that well enough, on his own. Just a year ago, he wouldn't have cared, either way.

The difference was that now, he finally had something to lose.

He had grown used to living with Goku's family – quirks, flaws, and all. For the first time in his life, he felt as if he had been a part of something. He felt accepted. He had found people that were willing to put their necks out for him. And even he could admit that it felt nice. It felt nice to be cared for by someone else. After a century of living on his own with no one to depend on but himself, he finally felt as if he could live in peace.

And that was exactly what he was afraid of – he didn't want to lose that. He knew Goku was firmly on the side of good; he had gleaned that from hearing his old adventures. He didn't think he had a single impure bone in his body. If he had been alive during his father's reign, he had no doubt that they would be enemies. If he learned about his past, there was no way he would take any chances. He would stop at nothing to defeat him. And Chi-Chi: she would never let him close to her or her family ever again. Once more, he would be alone: without purpose and without a home.

And the thought terrified him.

Thankfully, a distraction came that night – Ox King stopped by for another visit and decided to stay, for dinner. Piccolo was given momentary relief, listening to him rattle off stories of his youth and his training under the turtle hermit with Goku's grandfather.

"And then, Gohan tripped and the milk when everywhere! The worst part – it was right at the guy's doorstep!" Ox King laughed and smacked the table. "Bet your old man never told you that story, Goku."

Goku shook his head, and swallowed his food. "No, not really. He usually talked about how he kicked his partner's butt."

The group laughed, at Goku's crass comment. Even Piccolo got a chuckle out of it. As they continued to talk about the story, he took a drink of his water, and went for another helping of food.

"Piccolo," Chi-Chi said. "You're eating more than usual. What's the deal? You just hungry?"

He paused; and he was hoping that they wouldn't notice. The actual deal was that he was distracting himself by eating. He shrugged, and continued what he was doing.

"Well, I can't blame him; you certainly delivered tonight," Ox King interjected, to Piccolo's relief. "Your old man trained you well, princess."

Goku nodded. "I agree," he said, with his mouth full.

"Goku…"

His eyes widened, and he swallowed his food. "Sorry," he said, bashfully.

She sighed, pressing her fingers to her forehead and shaking her head. "I married a caveman." They all laughed, once more.

Piccolo let out a small exhale. At least the topic was dropped. They moved onto another conversation, as he quietly listened. If he kept this up, then everything would go back to normal, and he could finally have some peace, once again.

Cruel laughter sounded, behind him. " _Normal? Peace? Don't be so foolish! Have you forgotten why you were brought into this world, to begin with?_ "

Piccolo looked up from his plate. The others were carrying on in their conversation. Only now, they sounded strangely muffled. He dug a finger into his ear, but there was no change. As he looked around, he couldn't see anyone else. He shook his head. He was probably hearing things.

" _Don't try and ignore me. You and I both know that you can't. You never have been able to, and you never will be able to._ "

There it was, again. Piccolo slowly stood up from his seat. He watched the others for any reaction, but they were talking as if he wasn't there. This was strange, but perhaps he could get to the bottom of this easily.

He turned around. Taking extra precaution, he took a guarded stance. "I'm through with your games," he said. "Come at me, already." If whatever this was tried something, he'd respond without hesitation.

" _My, how you've grown; you're stronger and smarter than I ever imagined you'd be. I'm almost impressed. It's a shame that you've grown soft, as well. What a disappointment. And I had such high hopes for you…_ "

Piccolo's eyes widened. Clarity and recognition hit him like a train. He had not heard that voice in a long time. He turned around, once again. Facing him, toe-to-toe, was his mirror. No, not Kami: someone far more sinister.

His guarded stance fell. "Father."

"At least you have not forgotten me, after all this time. That gives me a bit of hope, my lost son."

Piccolo snarled, stepping backwards. "I am not lost. Trying to follow you was the worst mistake I ever made, in my life. I should have never listened to you."

The demon king tilted his head. "Surely you jest. I gave you purpose. A reason for being. A destiny to fulfill. Now what? You're content to remain in limbo, for the rest of your days. You will never be like Kami. So what do you live for, now?"

"I never want to be like Kami; we've stayed apart for a reason. That doesn't mean I have to be like you."

He shook his head. "It was worse than I thought. I never thought you would become so misguided. Open your eyes, my son. You are my heir. You were born for this. Take hold of your life and fulfill your destiny!"

The demon king took a step closer to him. Piccolo jumped away. "Back off," he warned. "I've become more powerful than you ever were. I am not you."

"No, my lost son, you are wrong. You will always be me. No matter how much you deny it and no matter how hard you might try to change that, I will always be a part of you."

Piccolo clenched his teeth. He tried to reason with himself. That what he was hearing was a giant load of bullshit. Hadn't he proved that he was different? His past year on Earth showed that, for sure.

"Are you referring to that pathetic family you've latched onto?" Piccolo growled, as the demon king circled him. "Do you really think that they are your way to salvation? No, my son, your sins are far too great, for that. Had this been a different time, Son Goku would be your enemy: he fights against our true purpose. You are a fool if you think otherwise."

"If you knew anything about me, you'd know that I gave that up a long time ago. Even back then, I didn't want your crown."

"Oh, but I think you've proven otherwise, in the past."

The demon king stopped in front of him. He raised his hand up, and flicked his wrist. Suddenly, Piccolo had a splitting headache. He grabbed his head and fell to his knees. A series of images flashed in his head. Every evil deed his father had wrought passed by – it was pure chaos, destruction, and carnage. He had long since forgotten the specifics of his father's crimes, but now, he was forced to relive every single one of them. As they neared their end, he thought he might have relief.

Then, a new series of deeds showed themselves: his own. Every single wish he had ever granted was repeated back to him. All of the money-hungry egomaniacs. All of the vengeful lovers. All of the well-intentioned extremists. All of the tyrants. It did not end there; it made sure that he knew of every single consequence: the destroyed lives, the ruined worlds, and the suffering innocents. He felt as if he was drowning, desperately clawing at the surface for a gasp of air but being pulled back down into the bottomless abyss every time.

" _You could have stopped all of this. You could have prevented this. But you did not. You served each and every one of your patrons without question or reservations. You caused all of this. Do you think anyone would accept you, if they knew just how much blood is on your hands?_ "

Mercifully, the images abruptly ended. Piccolo gasped, as he fell forward, fighting to catch his breath. He snarled and wiped his eyes, feeling stray tears falling down his cheeks.

The demon king stepped in front of him, once again. Piccolo looked up and glared at him as best as he could. He refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing him break. Though he didn't know how much more of this he could take.

"You should give up your foolish rebellion, now. I don't know what else I can show you to prove this to you."

He growled. "I am not like you," he managed to say, in between his teeth.

"Even if that was true, what would it matter? It doesn't matter how much you try to be a hero; you will still fail. Just as you always have, since you chose to defy me. How can you think you'd be able to protect that family, after you couldn't even protect her?"

His eyes narrowed. "Her?"

The demon king smirked. "You've already forgotten, haven't you? Well, allow me to remind you, once more."

He looked at a space behind him and nodded.

A loud scream came from behind him: a far too familiar one.

He turned around. His heart jumped and his eyes widened. Bulma was lying on the floor, as Frieza dug his foot into her chest. She desperately tried to pry it off of her, but he zapped her hands, making her cry out, once more. His long claws dug into her chest, tearing her clothes and drawing blood. All she could do was cry and scream.

"Kid!" He jumped up and tried to run forward. He didn't take two steps before he discovered that he couldn't move any further. His heart beat faster. He couldn't look away, and he couldn't intervene. Even when he closed his eyes, he was offered no relief. He was forced to watch the torture and relive every single moment of it.

"What did you do to save her," the demon king whispered into his ear. "Nothing. You did nothing. You sat there like a log, listening to her agony. This is how you repaid the one who gave you your freedom? You might be an even worse monster than I."

No. He tried to attack, and it didn't work. He did all that he could. Frieza was just too powerful for any of them.

"You couldn't even set aside your pride to fuse with that Namekian. Even with all that was at stake, you still had to be convinced. A true hero wouldn't have hesitated: he would have taken the inititive, no matter the cost."

Frieza knelt in front of her and grabbed her by her shirt collar. He pressed his palm against her chest, right on top of her heart. Then, he pushed his energy through her. He dropped her back onto the floor. Bulma's head lolled to the side, as blood tricked from her mouth. She gasped for air, but it was no use. Her breaths slowed, and the light left her eyes.

Piccolo stared in a dumbfounded shock. His legs shook, and he fell onto his knees. He couldn't say anything. How could he, after seeing this? His fists clenched and his eyes shut tightly, trying to contain his emotions. He couldn't listen to his rational mind, telling him that never happened. This has been it; he had finally cracked.

"I hope you see now. It doesn't matter how hard you try: you will never be a hero. You will never receive salvation. And you will always be like me."

Piccolo's eyes opened. He looked down at himself. No longer was he dressed in his normal turban and cape. Now, he wore a robe with his father's name on it – the same he wore, when he declare himself the demon king. His father laughed once more, as he began to shake.

"NO!"

Piccolo stood up and slammed his hands down on a surface, with his eyes shut. He was hunched over, trying to catch his breath. His hands gripped onto the surface, and it splintered and bent, in his grasp.

"Uh, Piccolo?"

His eyes shot open. He was back at the house. Goku, Chi-Chi, Gohan, and even Ox King were staring up at him, in confusion, concern, and fear. He stepped backwards, away from the table. He had nearly torn off a chunk of it, and a smashed plate was lying on the floor.

Without another word, he ran out of the house, not listening to the cries of concern behind him. He powered up and flew away as fast as he could. He didn't even know where he was going, but he knew he had to get away from there, before he could do anything else he'd regret.


	16. Chapter 16

In case you missed it, I actually updated this story on Tuesday. If you missed the last chapter, then go back and catch up. Enjoy!

Oh, and if you're wondering why it looks like _A Thrilling Chase_ got updated - I just decided to delete the last chapter about the spin-off. Didn't know that it was going to make it look like the story had been updated, so I apologize.

* * *

Piccolo didn't even know where he ended up. He was in a cold and cloudy canyon. Harsh winds blew from all sides, and the air was thin. It had only taken him a few minutes to fly to the other side of the globe. When he got there, he just lied on the ground, on his hands and knees. He couldn't even bare to stand up, right now; not after what he had just experienced.

How could he let himself get attached? It went against everything he had been taught for his entire life. Bonds like those never lasted, especially with a monster like him.

That was exactly what he was – a monster. He had never realized how many grave mistakes he had made until now. Everything his father said was true. He didn't do enough. He just blindly followed his master's orders. Even when he could have done something, he never did. He couldn't deny it any longer: he was every bit as evil as his father was. He didn't deserve redemption; his sins could never be amended.

This was exactly why he was destined to be alone. And he had no one to blame for it but himself.

Piccolo dug his hands into the dirt, and clenched his teeth. "Leave me be, old man," he snapped. "Unless you want me to kill you, right now!"

There wasn't a respond, but he could still feel his presence, behind him. When was he ever going to learn to take a hint?

"I never truly understand the depths of my mistakes with you… until tonight."

Kami walked up to his other half, stopping next to him. He slowly knelt to the ground, setting his staff next to him.

"You are not a monster. You never were. From the beginning, you were different. Even when you were reborn, I sensed none of your father's malice and hatred from you. You were your own man, even as you plotted my demise. Had I give you a chance, things might have turned out different.

"I set you on this path, years ago. I never gave you guidance, as a boy. I was more concerned about being betrayed and overthrown by an orphaned child. Without that guidance, I felt as if I was forced to trap you in the Dragon Ball, fulfilling my own prophecy. You did all that you could, with your circumstances.

"I failed you, Piccolo. And for that, I am so sorry."

Kami's voice wavered, as he gave his apologies. Piccolo managed to look over at him. He was shocked to see a few tears falling down his face. Kami was always collected and composed; never, for as long as he knew him, did he ever see him cry. It was making him uncomfortable.

"You need not forgive me, for I am not here for my sake. It is high time I finally start acting as a guardian to you. I only hope that you'll allow me to do so, this late in life."

At his lowest point, Piccolo knew that he had nothing to lose. Maybe a bit of wisdom from him would make it all stop. He lowered his head, and nodded.

"Alright. I'll need you to sit up straight and face me."

He sighed, as he shifted around to sit, cross-legged. He scooted himself on the grass, to face his other half.

Kami reached forward, and put his hand on his forehead. He closed his eyes and exhaled. Piccolo sat quietly, waiting for him to finish whatever he was doing. His mind began to feel cloudy and jumbled, as the ritual continued. His head was starting to spin.

Kami opened his eyes and pulled back.

"What did you do," Piccolo asked, in confusion.

"I reached into your mind, to see what had happened. I think I may have an explanation, for your outburst.

"That was not your father speaking to you – I found no trace of him lurking around your mind and body. If you were concerned about him coming out and taking over, then you have nothing to fear."

That was good, at least. "Then, what was it?"

"First, tell me this: who else knows about all that happened?"

"The Grand Elder of Namek, his assistant, and Bulma. That's it."

"How did they find out?"

"The elder has been watching us since we left Namek. Bulma and the assistant found out from him."

"So, you never told anyone what happened, yourself. Would that be right?"

He sighed. His nerves were shot enough, without the incessant game of twenty questions. He rubbed his brow. "What are you getting at, old man?"

"Answer me, please: I believe it's vital to putting everything to rest."

"Yes. That's probably right."

"Then, that is the solution: say your confessions to another, and then you'll finally be able to put this to rest."

He slumped forward, and narrowed his eyes. "You're joking."

"Piccolo, I believe the visions are manifestations of your guilt. You've kept all of this inside for so many years, not telling a soul. It's begun eating away at you. The easiest way for you to overcome your guilt is to talk to someone about it."

"Are you asking to hear all of my mistakes so you can rub it in?"

"No, not at all. I know your history. It wouldn't matter as much, if you repeated it all to me."

Piccolo groaned. "Then, who the hell should I tell?!"

Kami glanced up. "I have two suggestions, for you."

He was about to demand an explanation, but the look on his face gave him all of the answers he needed. "No," he immediately said. "I can't tell them. I… I just can't."

"Why not? You don't trust them?"

"Don't put words in my mouth! I never said that!"

"Then tell me the truth."

Piccolo sighed, and looked down.

"Weren't you the one who insisted that Bulma talk to her love, when she was feeling anguished? Should you not take your own advice?"

He shook his head. "If I told them… I'd lose them. I don't think I could take that."

"I think you'd be surprised – they might a bit more forgiving than you might think."

Piccolo didn't respond.

Kami grasped his staff and stood back up. "I'll leave you to think this over. The choice is entirely yours to make, but I ask you to consider my suggestion. And, Piccolo," He paused. Piccolo looked up at him. "I want you to come see me at the lookout, more often. I think there's much more that needs to be said, between us." With that, Kami hit his staff on the ground, and vanished in a flash of light.

Piccolo just stared at the ground. He put his face in his hand, and breathed deeply. What was he supposed to do, now? He felt as if he was running out of options. He wanted to put the past to rest. But, if Kami was correct, then the only way to do that was to risk losing the only people that truly cared for him. Would that be worth it? His temporary pain would cease, but then he'd be stuck without a home and without companions.

It was too late for him to go back to pretending as if nothing was wrong – his outburst earlier was one that he couldn't come back from. If he went back, they'd demand an explanation either way. He couldn't lie to them about it, though. And he couldn't keep it hidden, any longer.

"Piccolo!"

He looked up. Flying Nimbus came soaring down, from above. Goku and Chi-Chi immediately jumped off and ran towards him.

"What happened," she asked. "Are you okay? Does anything hurt? Are you bleeding?" She lifted his arm, checking for any injuries.

He pulled his arm away. "I'm fine," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"We tried to follow you, after you flew away," Goku said, "but you were too fast for Nimbus to keep up with. We were worried about you, Piccolo."

He looked around. "Where's Gohan?"

"He's back with my dad," Chi-Chi answered. "We asked him to take care of him, while we looked for you."

He couldn't believe it – they were willing to drop everything to go searching for him. He never thought that anyone would have done that for him. Sure, Goku went after him, before, but Chi-Chi was willing to leave her child with someone else in order to find him: the same woman who screamed at him and called him a brute, when she met him.

Maybe Kami was right.

"Come on," Goku said. "Let's head back home. It's getting really late."

Before they could climb back on Nimbus, Piccolo said "Wait." They stopped and turned around, looking at him, confused.

"I... I have to tell you both something important," he said.

Goku and Chi-Chi looked surprised. They clearly didn't expect this kind of request from him. "Can it wait, until we're back," Chi-Chi asked.

"No." If he waited any longer, he might lose his nerve.

They looked at each other, for a moment. Chi-Chi raised her eyebrow. Goku shrugged. She gestured towards him. He nodded. They looked back at Piccolo.

"Let's go somewhere quieter," Goku suggested. "Then you can tell us whatever you need to say."

Piccolo figured that was the best he was going to get. "Fine."


	17. Chapter 17

This is probably the part where I warn you that this chapter is a bit of a doozy. It ended up being longer than just about any other chapter I've written, but I really felt like this was the best way to get this across. Please enjoy.

* * *

The trio left the cold and windy mountains, flying down to a silent and deserted cliff. No sign of civilization. No active wildlife. Just nothing but a cliff over an empty field. This meant no distractions and no excuses.

Piccolo sat down on the small plain. Where could he even begin? He had lived a long life. What was important and what could have been omitted? Goku and Chi-Chi had sat down next to each other, facing him. They looked at him, waiting patiently for him to begin.

He sighed and crossed his arms. He supposed that he should start by explaining himself. "There's a lot you don't know about me," he said. "And… there's been a reason for that. I planned on taking all of this to my grave but I don't think I can, anymore. I want you to know that here and now. It may change your opinion of me. Try not to ask questions – please… just listen."

Goku and Chi-Chi looked at each other. They gave each other a nod, before looking back at Piccolo. "Okay," Goku said, in an uncharacteristically quiet tone. "We will."

Piccolo took a deep breath and exhaled. The best place to start was probably the beginning.

"Kami and I are not of this world," he began. "We were once a part of the same being – I have long since forgotten that name. I was sent from my home planet, amidst crisis. All I had was a letter telling me to wait, and someone would come for me. I waited by the ship that carried me here for years, before I decided to move on. Later, I was under the care of the guardian of the Earth. He had seen my potential and wanted to name me his successor.

"But, in order to serve as the guardian, one has to be pure of heart." He pointed at Nimbus. "Not much different to how you're able to ride that cloud. I worked hard to purge the malice and impurity from my body. But I had seen so much in my years of living here that once I was rid of it, it manifested into its own being.

He paused. What was the easiest way he could put this? "Kami was the pure being. My father was the evil one."

Chi-Chi gasped. Goku's eyes widened, in surprise. Piccolo knew he couldn't analyze their every reaction; he'd be more incline to back out, from this.

"There was a reason your master was so weary of me – my father did much to this world and none of it was good. He wanted to spread chaos and wickedness all throughout the world. He did his damndest to make sure everyone feared him. Battles, purges, genocides – you name any evil deed, and he probably partook in it. Kami tried to put a stop to it, even knowing that his death meant he would die, as well. But he didn't care: Earth has always been more important to him than his own life…"

* * *

 _The demon king laughed, as he looked down upon his other half. "When are you going to give up, my soft-hearted brother? You know that you can't defeat me. You might as well throw in the towel, while you still have some of your dignity left!"_

 _Kami was down on one knee, clenching his teeth. His power was beginning to wear thin. He did not know how much more of it he could take. He was able to tell that his evil half was almost as fatigued, but he was doing a better job at holding it in. Kami found himself running out of options, fast._

 _"Even if you did manage to best me, what good would that do? You'd only bring your own demise, as well. This pathetic world isn't worth that trouble, and you know it."_

 _Kami dug his fingers into the dirt. His aura began to pulse around him. "That's where you're wrong, Piccolo," he said, between his teeth. "The people of Earth are good, undeserving of your torment and misery. I was entrusted to protect this planet, and I will not fall to you!"_

 _"And just what are you going to do, then?"_

 _Kami glared up at his other half. He lifted his hand towards him. The demon king's cocky demeanor slowly began to fade away. He lifted a hand to his chest. He peaked down his shirt, looking for any signs of what he was doing. He began to sweat, not understanding what he was trying to do._

 _When he had his attention, once more, Kami clenched his hand into a fist._

 _The demon king suddenly gasped, and fell to his knees. He writhed on the ground in pain. He tried to take a deep breath of air, but nothing would help. Veins popped out of his forehead, as he struggled on the ground._

 _"What have you done," he demanded, in a tight voice._

 _Kami began sinking towards the ground, sweating and struggling to breathe, as well. "Your cold, cold heart is slowing. I've focused all of my energy into stopping it once and for all."_

 _"But," he groaned in pain, "then you'll die, as well! Our hearts beat as one, you ignorant fool!"_

 _Kami smiled and chuckled. "That's the idea."_

 _The demon king pounded his fist onto the ground. He was slowly falling out of consciousness. His other half had finally bested him. And he didn't even care if he had to die._

 _"It… it can't end like this!"_

 _The demon king gathered his remaining strength to get up, onto his knees. He had to make this quick, before his life was ended, for good. He never thought it would come to this, but he had no other options left._

 _He began to cough. He fell onto his hands, and leaned over the ground. As he coughed, he dry-heaved, as if he was forcing himself to vomit. Kami's fist unfurled, at the sight. He narrowed his eyes, attempting to dechiper what he was doing._

 _The demon king choked. A large lump formed, in his throat. His head was forced backwards, as something was forcing its way out of his mouth. Kami's eyes widened, and he quickly squeezed his fist, once more. But, it was too late. The demon king spit out a white egg, and it went skyrocketing away._

 _Kami suddenly regained his strength. He no longer felt the side effects of his actions. "What did you do," he asked._

 _The demon king chuckled. "My legacy will live on, brother," he said, with his final breath. "You will regret the day you defied me." His eyes closed and his breathing stopped._

* * *

"That was how I was born. My father intended for me to take his place and avenge his death. I inherited his name and memories. The first words I can remember hearing came from him: commanding me to finish what he had started. Truthfully, I didn't care about his empire of evil: defeating Kami was my one purpose. I trained for years, hoping to be powerful enough to defeat him, once and for all.

"Little did I know that Kami had been preparing, as well. When I went to confront him, he overpowered me with a new technique. He caught me in a wave of energy, trapping me inside of a Dragon Ball. He thought it was a fitting punishment – someone who thrived off the misery of others would have to serve others for all eternity. To make it worse – it could grant three wishes, instead of just one."

"Kami did that," Goku said, in disbelief. "But… he told me he didn't want the Dragon Balls to be available, like that. Why would he make another one?"

"I don't think he had figured that out, yet. He hadn't been guardian for long. He probably had a bit too much faith and trust in humanity, back then."

He looked down. "That was why you said…" He lifted his hand to his head, and ran his fingers through his hair. He shook his head. "It all makes sense."

He nodded. "Being trapped in that Dragon Ball was pure torture. Time passed differently in there than it does here. I could feel every agonizing second tick by. I was in complete solitude, from the outside world. It was almost a relief, when someone discovered the ball."

"Almost," Chi-Chi said.

He nodded. "I found out in a matter of weeks what took Kami decades to learn – the power the Dragon Balls possesses can do a lot, to a man. Even the most mundane of intentions can be easily corrupted and twisted into something cruel and malevolent. There were too many examples to name. I don't know how many lives I destroyed just through granting wishes."

He sighed. He knew he couldn't just leave it at that – it was far too vague. He wouldn't be cleared until he named some specifics.

"The first wishes I ever granted were for a young man, living in complete squalor. He had to care for his mother and five sisters all by himself. He wanted a better life for them all – possibly the most innocent desire that anyone can have. So, he wished for wealth. And with wealth came power, connections, and fame. He grew into a hero of the people, revered all across the land for his rags-to-riches story. The man had a taste of the high life and wanted more of it. His second wish was for even more wealth. I started growing suspicious, but had no choice but to grant the wish, anyway.

"He single-handedly bought out all of the authorities, bribing them into doing his bidding. He was made into a powerful leader, with all of the people loyally ready to serve him. He used this to get back at his enemies, starting rumors to send the mob after them and telling the authorities to look the other way. He had become a tyrant, mad with power and excess. But he still wanted more. He told me, flat out, that he wanted to become the most powerful man in any galaxy in the universe. Only then would he finally have everything. I did not want to find out what would happen, if he did gain that much more wealth. That was when I took action. He got his wish, all right. I sent him to a small planet in an abandoned galaxy with all of his wealth. I never found out what happened to him, after that wish.

He shook his head. "That was the day I started making limitations. They weren't like limitations Shenron has - I might have had the power to grant them, but I quickly learned that people were willing to listen to any provisos, if you listed them off. After I was done with that boy, I stopped granting the same wish twice."

Goku and Chi-Chi were still listening to him. They looked horrified by his recollection, but they didn't say anything about it. However, he had yet to get to any of the truly horrifying masters.

"Years later, an older woman found the Dragon Ball. She had been unlucky in love, hurt many times by her ex-lovers. She still hoped to find her one true love. So, she wished to become more desirable, and to attract the attention of more men. She hoped this would make her search easier: more suitors meant more opportunities to find her one true love. It turned out to be only good in theory. As more men approached her, her standards grew higher. None was good enough for her, anymore, and none could reach her impossibly high expectations. Then, she finally found her Mr. Perfect. The only problem was that he had no interest in her. She was not going to take that lying down. With her second wish, she wished for him to fall in love with her. After that, he became a devoted and doting husband to her.

"Of course, that still wasn't good enough; probably grew bored of it. With her last wish, she told me to replace him with a new boyfriend. The last I heard from her, some of her vindictive admirers got together and did her in, themselves. That was the last time I tried granting any wishes that involved romance. I only made one exception, after that."

Piccolo went on from there, listing off his old masters as almost a highlight reel of his life. He didn't skimp on the details – if they were going to know, then they should know everything. It was another reason why he did not want to return home, earlier. They might not have been so willing to share a house with him, after they knew all he had done. At least he would not have been kicked out, if that were the case.

"My final master turned out to be the worst of them all. He wasn't like any of the others. He didn't fall from good intentions. I never thought to call anyone this, but he was pure evil. He had one ambition: power. And he would seize that through any means necessary: it didn't matter how many people he had to kill to get there. He had been searching specifically for my Dragon Ball for decades. It took a while, but he finally got it. With it, he wished to become king of a race he had served for years. The worst part was that he didn't need any help I could give – he had enough raw power to put down any challenge that came his way. He was just lazy and preferred an easy way to the top. We fought back with everything that we had, and we only barely managed to take him down.

He looked down. "I couldn't tell you how much ill I caused, while I was in that Dragon Ball: I barely remember most of it, to be honest. The worst part was how little I did to stop it. I could have prevented much of it, if I had put my foot down more often. I have more blood on my hands than I can even comprehend. All I can do now is try to move on. And my first step was telling you."

Piccolo didn't dare look up. He dreaded to see the look on their faces. The long silence made his dread worse. This was it. He knew it. Soon, they'd leave and he'd be alone, again.

Then, to his shock, he was pulled into a tight embrace. He opened his eyes. Goku had his arms over his shoulders, pulling him close. Piccolo's arms hung loosely by his sides as he just stared, in shock. This certainly wasn't the reaction he was expecting.

Goku pulled back, and looked him in the eyes. He smiled, at him. "It's okay, Piccolo. Honestly."

Piccolo's jaw dropped, as he gawked at him. So, he was all about virtue and purity, but he was just fine with everything he had been told. What kind of sense did that make? He couldn't even speak, from the shock.

Goku must have sensed what he'd been thinking. "You were only put in those bad situations by other people. You don't have to feel guilty, about it."

He pushed Goku, and he fell onto his back. The push was harder than he intended, but he was still processing what he was being told. "How can you even say that?! After all I had done! After all my father did! How can you see me as anything but a monster?!"

"Because you're not," Chi-Chi said, shocking him even more. "A monster wouldn't be this torn up about his actions. A monster would have bragged about his actions, instead of confessing them. You haven't done either of those things."

"Right," Goku said, as he sat back up. "And besides: it wasn't your fault. My grampa used to tell me that where you come from doesn't matter: it's all about how you act, now. And, even if your dad was bad and you used to be bad, you're good now! Isn't that what counts?"

Piccolo just blinked. And he had thought that Bulma was too trusting.

"And as for your other comment," Chi-Chi said, "you're not your father. You shouldn't be judged the same way he was. Do you think I should be judged because of what my ancestors have done?"

Never. She was clearly a different person, than the Ox Kings of old. He shook his head.

"Then why should you be judged, differently?"

He was about to speak, but the words were stopped, in his throat. That was a good point.

"I still don't understand how you don't look at me differently, knowing that," he admitted.

"You made mistakes," Goku said. "Kami did, too. They weren't your fault. You still tried to make the best of them and try to help people. And you're a better person, now. I don't know about you, but I think that counts for something."

He made it sound so simple. As if just being better was enough to absolve him of all he had done. That boggled his mind. Only one other person had ever said something like that to him, before. He hadn't taken the time to let it sink in, back then, due to the urgency of the situation. Now, he was sitting before two more people who truly believed he was a good man.

He honestly didn't know how he was supposed to take that.

"We should be getting home," Chi-Chi said. "I'm sure dad's wondering what's kept us away, for this long."

He slowly stood back up, again. Goku hopped onto Nimbus, and helped Chi-Chi climb back onboard. They looked back at Piccolo, waiting for him to be ready. He nodded, and they took off, heading back to their home.


	18. Chapter 18

Good news - I have the story completely finished! Sadly, this does mean we are coming closer to the end of this story, but fear not. It will certainly not be the end for these characters, as a whole. When this story is all completely uploaded, there'll be a little break as I get ready to start putting up the proper sequel to _A Thrilling Chase_. I'm very excited from what I've had written, so far, and I hope you all are going to like it, too.

Enough about that, for now. I'll be able to tell you more by the time the last chapter of this story comes out. For now, enjoy!

* * *

It was that time of year, again – the most exciting time of the year, for a martial artist. Every year for a week, the strongest and most capable fighters all over the Earth would gather to prove who was the best and strongest of them all.

Once again, it was time for the World Martial Arts Tournament.

Starting as a humble gathering for local villages and tribes, the WMAT, as it was often abbreviated as, grew into a global event. Hundreds of fighters from all corners of the globe made the sacred pilgrimage to the Papaya Islands for the smallest chance of competing in the prestigious event. Even more gathered to watch the fights go down, cheering for their favorite fighters.

Goku begged Chi-Chi for a chance to fight in the tournament, again; he had voluntarily stepped down for the past two years, to care for his family, but he needed to get back in the ring. She didn't put up a fight, knowing how happy it made him, and said yes. Now, he could return to reclaim his title as the World Champion.

The Sons waited in line at the registration booth. Even though they had arrived early, the line was five-miles long. Piccolo decided to tag along, as well. He was curious to observe the Earth warriors, and to compare it to what he had seen, before. He wondered how much had changed, in the years that he was gone.

Goku was hopping up and down in place. "Man, it's been way too long! I can't wait to see how many strong guys are here! There's gotta be at least hundreds!"

Piccolo snorted. He was seemed a bit too eager to get his ass kicked. Though, by analyzing the energies here, not many of them would be a match for him. However, he knew well not to underestimate them. Some of them might prove to be a decent fight, for Goku. Piccolo, himself, had no interest in entering – it wouldn't be too interesting of a fight if he overpowered everyone.

Chi-Chi came back up, carrying a tray of snacks. She groaned. "This line has been going on, forever. How close are we, to the front?"

Goku leaned his head out of the line. "I think we're getting close, now!" Then, he immediately grabbed the food on the tray, and started digging in.

She shook her head. "I swear…" She handed the bottle of water to Piccolo, and took the drink she had gotten, for herself. Gohan was swaddled over her chest. "This was just as bad when I entered, all those years ago."

Piccolo raised a brow. That seemed unlike her. "You entered the tournament."

"Sure did. Entered just for that pig, right there," she pointed at Goku. "Had to make him hold up his promise somehow."

"Promise?"

"To marry me, of course." She put her hand on her cheek, as her face flushed a light pink. "When we met, he promised to marry me. It was so romantic. He proposed, right after our fight."

Piccolo was about to speak, but held his tongue. The fewer questions he asked about this, the better. Any clarifications would probably only confuse him more. He didn't know what he expected, honestly.

After another half-hour of waiting, they finally reached the registration booth. The man sitting at the booth was finishing writing out the last contestant, and looked up at them. He looked really tired and frazzled. Piccolo glanced backwards – he pitied the poor man, given how much longer the line still was.

"Hi, are you here to sign up for the tournament," he asked, in a drowsy voice.

"Sure am," Goku said, enthusiastically.

"All I need is a name…"

"Son Goku!"

The man at the booth yawned, as he scribbled out his name. "Thank you. Are there any other members of your party entering?"

Goku looked down, and put his finger on his chin. He looked back at Piccolo. "Are you entering, Piccolo?" He shook his head. "What? Why not? You'd do amazing, here!"

He scoffed. "It wouldn't be too much of a fight, at my current power."

Goku ran over to him, and grabbed his arm. "But it would be so much fun to fight you! Come on, pretty please?"

Piccolo stared down at him for several moments. It was clear that he wasn't going to budge on this one. He sighed, and pushed him off, walking up to the booth. "Ma Junior."

The man at the booth scribbled out his name, as well. "So, Son Goku and Ma Junior. Is that correct?"

He sighed. "I suppose it is."

"Thank you, gather at the auditorium tomorrow morning at eight, good luck and fight your best," he said, in an uncaring tone. He leaned his head up. "Next fighter, please."

Piccolo took two steps out of the line before Goku tackled him, in a hug. He grabbed onto his back, crushing him in a backbreaking hug. "Yahoo! Thank you so much! I knew you'd want to do it, after all!"

He clenched his teeth, and grabbed onto his arms. "Get off of me," he said, between his teeth. He tried to pry him off, but Goku wouldn't budge.

Chi-Chi laughed, as she went up to join them. "You boys are already making this hard, for me. I don't know which one of you I should root for."

Thankfully, Goku jumped off of him. Piccolo sighed, in relief, and straightened out his clothes. "You can cheer for both of us," he said. "Winning doesn't matter. I just care about the fight!"

"Well, I say that we all should go out to eat. You two will need to keep up your strength, for tomorrow."

On cue, Goku's stomach rumbled loudly. He blushed and scratched the back of his head, laughing along the way. "Yeah, let's go do that."

* * *

The next morning, all of the contestants were gathered in the auditorium in preparation for the elimination round. The event was closed off to the public, so Goku and Piccolo made their way, alone. When they reached their destination, they were surrounded by hundreds of the strongest and most confident fighters on the planet. However, by the end of the day, only eight of them would be moving to the next round.

The last-minute training and conversations were cut short when a microphone was tapped. "Ladies and gentlemen," a man said, standing in the middle of the room. "Please make your way over to one of the booths available at all corners of the room and draw your number. Once you have your number, match it with the corresponding bracket and go to the assigned room. Once everyone is in his or her proper place, we can begin the elimination round. And please – no trading."

"Good luck, Piccolo," Goku said. "You better make it, to the ring!"

He smirked. "I was planning on it."

"Then I guess I'll see you there!" He patted him on the back, before running to grab his number.

Piccolo stood in the line closest to him. Luckily, it moved quickly, and he was soon reaching into the fishbowl for one of the many pieces of paper. He took out a slip, and walked away, so the next contestant could draw their number. He opened it, seeing that he was number 70. Looking up at the large poster on the wall, he was to head to Room 3. He spun on his heel and followed the crowd to the designated room.

Once he was inside, he began to size-up his opponents. In terms of power, they were nothing to write home about – above average for humans, but paled in comparison to anyone else he had known. All of diverse heights and shapes, but their energies were about the same – it was a bit difficult for him to tell one from the other.

Soon, all of the fighters were gathered. An assistant stood up on the stage, addressing the crowd. "Alright. Here is how these fights go – we will go by the bracket system that you can see, behind me." There was another poster behind him of just the Room 3 bracket. "We will go in numerical order to determine who fights when. The matches will last a minute, at max. A victory is chosen through a knockout, a ring-out, or a forfeit. If the match is not over by the end of the timeframe, a referee will determine the winner by performance. As with normal tournament rules, killing an opponent means an automatic disqualification, and any and all weapons are strictly prohibited.

"To begin with, I am going to need number 69 and number 70. Please make your way to the stage."

Piccolo waited in the crowd, for his opponent to make it on stage, first. A fit young man walked on stage, and flipped his long, red hair back. Piccolo sighed. This was going to be boringly easy. He cut through the crowd and climbed on stage.

The assistant walked over to the young man, first. "Can I get your name, sir?"

He chuckled. "Fruie Dula Merre: fighter extraordinaire. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my good sir." He winked at the assistant.

The assistant put a hand on his cheek, and looked away, bashfully, as he wrote his name down on the clipboard. Piccolo just rolled his eyes. He must have been trying to schmooze up to the ref; if it came to a draw, then the points would be in his favor. Piccolo didn't understand that: wouldn't it be more legitimate if you won through your own strength, rather than through manipulation? Humans were odd creatures.

The assistant cleared his throat and walked over to Piccolo. "A-and your name, sir?"

"Ma Junior."

He wrote down his name, as well. "Alright, gentlemen, we will start when you two are ready. Once again, you have one minute to fight." He stepped out of the ring.

Fruie gave Piccolo an once-over, putting his hand on his hip. "My, my, aren't you a big boy? You know, green has always been my favorite color. I'd truly hate to discolor you."

Piccolo ignored his comment, and got into a fighting stance. Maybe this would have worked if he was a horny teenager, but he had long since grown immune to these sorts of tactics. He wasn't even being subtle about his attempt to get him to throw the match.

The smirk on his face faded, and he quickly took a stance, as well.

The assistant raced his hand, ready to press start on his timer. "Aaaaaaaand, begin!" He brought his hand down, and started the timer.

Fruie charged Piccolo head on, but he vanished before him. He looked at the empty spot on the stage confused, not realizing that his opponent was floating above him. Piccolo kicked, and he went flying off of the stage, crashing through the brick wall.

Medical assistants rushed over to Fruie, checking his pulse and vital signs. They gave the assistant thumbs up, as they unfolded a stretcher, quickly carrying him away.

The assistant gawked at the scene, stopping his timer. He was rendered speechless by the display. Eventually, he shook his head, and jumped on stage. "Contestant 69 Fruie Dula Merre has been eliminated. Junior will be moving forward, in the elimination round."

With that confirmation, Piccolo hopped off stage, the crowd parting as he went to stand against the wall. That was more satisfying than he would have been willing to admit. Maybe this wouldn't be quite so boring, after all.

"Now, will contestant 71 and 72 please come forward?" There was a long pause. "Contestant 71 and 72, please."

When the assistant looked up, half of the room had cleared. The round was put on hold, as the remaining numbers were accounted for. All of the missing fighters had one thing in common – they were in the same bracket at Piccolo. None of them wanted to get pounded, so they had forfeited the entire tournament.

Thus, Piccolo had cleared the elimination round, by default. He would be moving onto the quarterfinals.

He was told that he could rest, until the finalists were called; he didn't need to stick around to watch the remaining fighters. Wanting to keep his possible opponent's strength a mystery, he decided to leave. He'd wait to see if Goku made it through, yet.

Slowly, the remaining fighters trickled out of the rooms and back outside. Of course, many of them coming out would not be moving onto the tournament. Few seemed to be taking it well, as many looked hurt and disappointed by their losses. A few of them were whining and crying about it to their peers. Piccolo just shook his head, at the sore losers.

"Hey, Piccolo!"

Goku came running up to him, from behind. He looked particularly giddy – even more than usual. He was jumping in place, as soon as he reached him. "Did you make it? Did you make it?" Piccolo nodded. "Hey, me too! Maybe we'll get to face off against each other! Man, that would be awesome."

He raised his brow. "If you think you can make it, that far."

"Oh, you're on!" Goku lifted his fist and pushed it towards him. Piccolo glanced down at it, not sure what he was trying to do. But, Goku kept staring at him, waiting for him to make a move. Hesitantly, Piccolo lifted his fist, and bumped it against Goku's. Goku's grin grew bigger, and he nodded.

A loud voice spoke over the intercom. "Attention, finalists: please begin to make your way to the tournament stage. The fights will begin shortly. Thank you."

"Better get over there, then," Goku said. Piccolo just nodded. "Just follow me – I've been there, before."

Goku and Piccolo were among the first to arrive, backstage. Only two other contestants were there. One was a petit, thin woman with curly purple hair; she sat in the corner of the room, adjusting her makeup. The other one was an older gentleman with an afro and a mustache; he was practicing poses to himself. Once the assistants cleared them of their identities, they were allowed in.

"Hey, it's you!"

A man with slicked-back blonde hair, sunglasses, and a suit came running up to them. Goku's face lit up with recognition, and he lifted his hand up in a wave. "Yo!"

"Oh, we missed you last year. No offense, but last year's tournament was an absolute snooze fest without you. Have you come back to reclaim your title?"

He shrugged. "That's the idea!"

"Fantastic! This will make for a fantastic story – after a year of rest, the old winner has come back to show everyone what a real champion is like! This'll be even bigger than your proposal, my guy!"

Goku laughed. Piccolo just stood next to him silently, not knowing who this man was or why he was acting so chummy with him.

At that moment, the man took notice of him. "Well, hello! Don't think I've seen your face around here, before. Tell me this is a friend of yours!"

Goku glanced at Piccolo. "Uh-huh! He's gonna be fighting, too."

"Amazing! Well, good luck to the both of you! I look forward to seeing whatever you come up with, on the stage! I know the audience is gonna love you!" The man waved goodbye, and walked away.

He still had so many questions. "Who the hell was that?"

"Him? Oh, he's the tournament announcer. He tells everyone what's going on and stuff. He's really cool!"

Piccolo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. So he'd have to deal with his obnoxious commentary for the entire tournament. That was just fantastic.

Another pair entered the room – it was Krillin and Yamcha. Goku waved at them, and they came sauntering over to them.

"I knew you two would make it," Goku said. "Everyone's coming back together. Man, this is gonna be the best tournament ever!"

"We didn't think you'd managed to make it out here," Krillin said.

Goku playfully punched his arm. "You know I wouldn't miss this for the world! It's been way too long since I had a good fight."

"Don't tell me you've been slacking," Yamcha said. "Just because you're a dad now doesn't mean you can stop with your training."

"Come on, you know I wouldn't do that. I've been getting stronger, this past year, and I can't wait to show it off!"

"Oh yeah? I guess we'll see when we get on stage. You might have barely beaten me last time, Goku, but I've been training, too. Maybe I can take that title back, from you." Yamcha puffed out his chest, in a display of confidence.

Goku put his hands on his hips and smiled. "Well, you're more than welcome to try!"

Krillin looked over and saw Piccolo. "Oh, hey! You showed up, too! Didn't think I'd get to see you, again. Piccolo, right?" He nodded. "So, you're fighting in the tournament, too?"

He thought that would be obvious, given that only the finalists were allowed in here and no one else: not even family and friends were allowed. He bit back any snarky comments he had. He should probably be a little respectful to Goku's friends. "I am," he said, succinctly.

Goku put his arm over Piccolo's shoulders. "He wasn't going to, but I managed to convince him!"

He snorted. "You were practically begging."

He shrugged. "Hey, as long as it works!"

"Figures you guys would make it, this far."

A new person was walking up to join the group. He was taller than the rest of the group, dressed in a dark green-gi and purple wrist gauntlets. He was completely bald, not unlike Krillin. However, his most striking feature was the third eye plastered on his forehead.

"Tien!" Goku pushed past the rest of the group to say hi. "Man, it's so great to see you!"

He nodded. "I could say the same about you. After you didn't show up the past couple years, I was beginning to think you had given up fighting. Thought the married life might have finally humbled you."

He laughed. "You guys are ridiculous! You know I couldn't give that up – it's what keeps me going."

Tien chuckled, as he shook his head. "Never change, Goku."

Krillin looked around. "Hey, where's Chiaotzu? Thought he'd be with you."

He looked down, seeming sad. "He didn't make it, through the preliminaries..."

"Oh, that's too bad," Goku said. "But hey, at least he can still cheer you on, in the stands!"

"That's what he said, too."

Piccolo's attention was pulled from the conversation, when the last contender entered the room. This one was different from all of the others. He was a thin man, wearing glasses and a white polo shirt. He looked like he had wandered into the room, thinking it was the bathroom or the way to the stands. However, the security cleared him, and he was allowed to enter; that meant he had to be a competitor.

They met eyes, for a moment, and the mysterious man smiled at him. Piccolo leaned back. He looked like he knew something that he didn't. There was almost a mischievous twinkle in his eye, as he did so. To say it was slightly unsettling to him was an understatement.

Thankfully, he didn't have to think about it, for long. The tournament announcer crossed into the front of the room. "Hello, fighters," he shouted, silencing the conversations and pulling everyone's attention to him. "Congratulations for making it this far. Now, we'll begin drawing numbers, deciding who's going to face off against whom. When I call your name, please come up and take a number out of the box. After that, we'll begin the match! Is everyone ready?"

Everyone collectively voiced his or her agreement, at varying levels of excitement.

"Then, let's get started!"

One-by-one, the finalists were called to the front. Each took a number from the box, and placed in the corresponding bracket. The final line-up was as followed:

1\. Ma Junior VS Shen

2\. Yamcha VS Ranfan

3\. Krillin VS Mark

4\. Goku VS Tien

Piccolo was set to fight the unknown fighter, from earlier. As the general rules and regulations of the tournament were listed off, he could feel him staring at the back of his head. It made it very hard to concentrate on what the announcer was saying. He wanted to smack him and demand to know what his deal was, but he held off. Soon, they would be in the ring; he would hold off his questions until then.

A hand was placed on his shoulder. "Good luck, Piccolo! You're gonna do great!"

He glanced backwards. Goku smiled and nodded at him.

"You too, Goku."


	19. Chapter 19

Hey, in case you missed it, I posted an update yesterday! Go check that out too, while you're here. There's also some info about the future of the stories in this universe that you can read there, as well. Enjoy!

Also this chapter was brought to you by the phrase "Read the Damn Manga"

* * *

"ARE YOU READY FOR THIS YEAR'S EXCITING TOURNAMENT?!" In response to the announcer's question, the crowd cheered and cried, in ecstasy and hype. "I hope you are, because our first match is about to begin! Will the contestants please come on stage?"

The mysterious Shen entered first, taking his place on the announcer's right. Piccolo followed him, soon afterwards, standing to his left.

"We have not one, but two newcomers in this first match! To my right is Shen – standing at 158 pounds and sporting some mighty-fine specs! And to my left is a green man with a serious scowl – Ma Junior!"

Piccolo heard a "psst", behind him. Goku was sitting on the edge of the wall, and pointing towards the crowd. When he looked in that direction, he saw Chi-Chi with Gohan, standing right in the front. She gave him thumbs up, as Gohan bounced up and down, in her arms.

"Alright, gentlemen! Let's keep this a good and clean fight! When the gong sounds, you may begin."

Piccolo stared down his opponent. Nothing about this Shen person led him to think that he was a particularly gifted fighter. He just seemed like an ordinary man. It made Piccolo surprisingly anxious, about this fight – he had to be hiding something. He knew that he would have to keep his guard up.

The gong chimed, and the match began. Piccolo took a guarded stance, but Shen had not moved a muscle. He kept his hands behind his back, just staring at him. He wasn't even making a move.

Thinking he could use this to his advantage, Piccolo pulled his hand back, and slid towards him, swiping at him. However, he only swiped at thin air. Shen had jumped over him, and landed on the other side of the stage, keeping his back to him.

Piccolo spun on his heel and charged at him, once more. Shen ducked his head, swaying from side to side to avoid his barrage of blows. He was at a loss, for words. Though he was not fighting at his full power, this man was still dodging all of his attacks. Any other normal human wouldn't have stood a chance.

He pulled back his fists, and jumped away. This fight was not going to be as easy as he would have thought. He had to rethink his strategy, if he were going to win.

But first, he needed answers.

"Alright," he said. "You are clearly not as feeble as I was lead to believe. Who are you?"

Shen turned around, still keeping his hands behind his back. "I'll leave it for you to figure out, Piccolo."

His eyes widened. How did he know his name? No one has spoken it, since the tournament had begun. He had chosen a pseudonym for this reason. There was no way that he could have found out; it was just impossible.

Piccolo growled. "Fine. You want to play games? Then I'll finish you off!"

He lunged out towards him, once more. And once more, he disappeared, before he could hit him. Suddenly, he was kicked into the hard tiles of the tournament stage. Not to be outdone, he came out on the other end, breaking through the other side.

"Unbelievable," the tournament announcer exclaimed. "It appears that Junior has practically swum through the stage, coming out the other end! What force and strength our fighters have! What will happen next?!" The audience grew more excited, from the announcer's commentary.

"You can do it," Goku shouted, from on the wall. "You can take him out!"

Piccolo glanced up at him and nodded. He knew he could. He was only trying to figure out how.

Shen shook his head, lowering his gaze. " _I don't understand how I could have doubted you before. Since then, all you have done is proven me wrong. I guess I truly was blind to who you are._ "

He raised his brow. "What are you talking about? Start talking sense."

He looked back up at him. "You surely understand now: I wasn't even speaking out loud."

Piccolo blinked. That was right. But how was he able to hear that? His telepathy wasn't nearly that advanced.

Unless…

Shen smirked. "I believe you've figured it out, haven't you?"

He balled his fists and charged at Shen, once more. This time, he actually fought back, with as much insistence and viciousness as Piccolo did. Now that all had been made clear, the fight could continue, as intended.

"Wow! Neither fighter wants to back down! Junior and Shen are going hard at each other! If this is a sign of things to come, then this might be the best tournament, yet!" The crowd erupted into cheering and applause, wanting to see more.

However, though the fight appeared to be vicious and unrelenting, there was no true animosity or competitiveness between the two fighters. As their brawl reached its climax, they were silently discussing matters pertaining to these circumstances.

Piccolo threw a punch at Shen, which he ducked to avoid. " _Any reason you came down here? I thought you were supposed to be neutral._ "

" _I only wanted to check up on you, and see how you were. It's not as if I've abandoned the Lookout entirely, for this._ " Shen crouched down and swung his leg out underneath Piccolo. He just jumped up and away from him.

" _What are you: my father?_ "

Shen charged at him, and Piccolo followed suit. They pushed against each other, digging their heels into the hard stole of the tournament stage. " _No, of course not. Is it so wrong to want to know how your other half is doing?_ "

Piccolo couldn't suppress a smirk. " _I suppose not. For your information, I've been fine._ "

" _That's exactly what I was hoping to hear, Piccolo._ " Shen smiled at him.

Piccolo took his broken guard as an opportunity to uppercut him, sending him flying up into the air. The crowd whooped.

The tournament announcer took off his sunglasses, wiped them on his jacket, and put them back on. "Unbelievable! Both contestants are fighting high in the air! I can tell you, in my decade long tenure of announcing at these tournaments, I have never seen anything like this!"

Chi-Chi was waving her fist in the air, screaming over everyone else in the crowd. "COME ON! YOU CAN TAKE OUT THIS SENILE OLD COOT!" Gohan was just looking up at the fight in awe, not paying his screaming mother any mind.

Goku narrowed his eyes. There was something different about this guy. How had he not heard of him or felt him, before this fight? Not unlike Piccolo, he noticed how different his appearance was from his actual skills. And his fighting style looked so familiar. He had only seen it once, before.

Like a bolt of lightning, it hit Goku. Shen… like Shenron… Shen meant God...

Shen was Kami!

But that didn't explain why he was here. He didn't do this, before; he always told him that he liked to stay out of everyone else's business. Was he having second thoughts about Piccolo? What would he do to him, if he ended up losing? Goku didn't want to see his friend get hurt.

"You can do it, Piccolo! Knock him out!"

He heard both cries of encouragement loud and clear. It filled him with more determination to win. As he flew up to catch up to him, he disappeared. Shen reappeared behind him and attempted to kick him, but Piccolo caught his fist without looking in his direction.

" _All that time on the Lookout and you haven't kept up with your training. Some kind of guardian you are, old man._ "

Kami chuckled, in his head. " _I suppose I've fallen behind, in my old age. You've shot far ahead of me. In every conceivable way._ "

Piccolo's jaw dropped. Shen could have used that moment to attack, while his guard was down, but he only turned around. "I've never been happier to be proven wrong in my entire life. I'm proud of you, Piccolo. Thank you for all you've taught me." He smiled at him.

He responded with a smile of his own. Quickly followed by a punch to the face, knocking him down to the ground, landing just outside of the ring.

"Aaaaand Shen has been knocked out of the ring, ladies and gentlemen! Junior will be moving onto the next round!"

Piccolo lowered himself to the ground, as the crowds were cheering his name. He crossed his arms, and landed gracefully back onto the stage. He looked down at Shen once more, and they locked eyes. Shen winked at him and promptly passed out. Piccolo could see vapors leave his mouth, as he did so. Paramedics rushed over to the unconscious man, desperately attempting to rouse him awake.

When he started to wake up, the announcer shoved a microphone in his face. "Shen, my good man! You're finally awake! Great work out there, regardless! You'll surely go down in tournament history for an exciting match!"

The man sat up, rubbing his head, blinking at the tournament announcer. He pushed the microphone out of his face. "What's going on?"

A little boy jumped over the barrier. "Man, my dad is the coolest guy ever!"

The man looked up at the tournament stage then back at his son. "Oh. I guess I am…" He looked hopelessly confused, but appeared to be trying to run with it.

The announcer jumped back on stage, and shoved the microphone into Piccolo's face. "So, Junior, this is your first year at the tournament, isn't it? How does your first victory feel?"

He just looked down at the microphone, in confusion. "Fine," he said, hoping that would satisfy him.

"And he's humble, too! Well, welcome to the tournament, Junior! I wish you best of luck, in the remaining fights!" He patted him on the back twice, pushing him towards the backstage area. Piccolo turned on his heel and left the way he came in.

When he glanced out at the crowd, Chi-Chi and Gohan were cheering for him. A small smile formed on his face, as he walked out of sight.

Goku jumped off of the wall and ran over to him. "Wow! That was amazing! You did awesome, Piccolo! Kami must not have known what hit him!"

Piccolo looked over at Goku. "You knew that was Kami."

"I sort of figured it out. I was worried he might try to hurt you, but I should have known you would have taken care of it."

Now, he was a bit curious. "What would you have done, if he did try something?"

"I probably would have jumped in to help you. Tournament or not, I'd still help my family."

He flinched and his eyes opened, when he heard that word. Had he just called him 'family'? Did he truly see him the same way he saw his wife and son? No one had ever done that, before. His head was spinning, trying to comprehend that revelation. He hadn't even registered that he was willing to fight the Earth's guardian just for his sake.

"Hey, let's head back. We can watch the rest of the fights, there."

He nodded; glad to be distracted from his momentary crisis. He could mull over this, later.

* * *

The remainder of the quarterfinal fights went off without a hitch.

Yamcha's fight against Ranfan was more than interesting. She was a woman infamous for distracting her opponents with her sexuality rather than by her skills. And she had the good luck of being put up against a man who was still nervous around women. However, that anxiety proved to be his secret weapon. As soon as she started coming onto him, he accidently knocked her out, just trying to get her away from her.

Krillin went up against another newcomer: some guy named Mark. It turned out that he was nothing but talk. He went on and on about how he was the greatest fighter in the world. It did wonders to hype up the crowd in his favor, but Krillin easily KO'd him. Even that did little to stop the hype train, as they booed Krillin while he walked off-stage.

The last fight of the quarterfinals was Goku up against Tien Shinhan: their rematch after the twenty-second tournament. The last fight had ended with Tien as the victor. Once a member of the Turtle School's rivals, the Crane School, he had wanted to prove that his master was the strongest; of course, his master had his own murkier motivations but he had rebelled against them. By the end of the tournament, they parted as unlikely friends. Both had wanted a rematch at the last tournament, but Tien was knocked out by Yamcha right before the finals.

* * *

"I hope you've been training, Goku," Tien said. "I've been preparing for this moment for the past five years. You better not let me down."

"I promise you that I won't!"

The gong sounded, and Tien went rushing towards Goku. However, he disappeared right as he came up to him. The crowd gasped, but Tien did not look phased. When Goku reappeared behind him, Tien quickly spun around and blocked his incoming fist.

"Not even gonna take off the weights like last time? That might improve your speed."

"Don't need to!"

"I see. Then I probably shouldn't be holding back."

Tien jumped backwards. As he did, three other Tiens came out of him. They were identical to what they were copying. It was hard to tell what was the copy and what was the original.

"I believe this is what Tien Shinhan calls his Multi-Form technique," the announcer said. "How exciting!"

"Man, that takes me back. I've got something cool, too! Wanna see it?"

"If you can make it worth my while, then sure. Go ahead."

Goku hunched forward, clutching his fists tightly. His image began to waver, as something transparent was moving over his form. The images grew clearer as time went on. Soon, there were four distinct images of Goku standing next to each other.

Piccolo's jaw dropped, as he watched from the sidelines. Since when could he do that? They had been training for months together, and he hadn't shown that off once.

Tien looked equally shocked. "How…?"

Goku pointed up. "I've been practicing! Piccolo likes using that technique a lot, so I thought I should learn how to do it."

Piccolo just blinked. He never taught him how to create those copies. He only showed it to him once or twice. And yet, he learned how to do it entirely by watching him. That was absolutely incredible. Even the strongest beings he encountered didn't have that skill.

"Impressive," Tien said in awe. "You always find ways to surprise me, Goku." Goku just laughed.

The shadow clones attacked each other, each one trying to find the real fighter. Only the actual fighter could be truly harmed – attacking a clone was pointless and a complete waste of energy. It made it confusing for those watching from below.

It did not take long for Piccolo to spot which one was the real Goku. Multi-form techniques involved splitting one's energy into equal parts for each copy. While it was impressive to show, the attacks of each copy were individually weaker than the whole fighter. However, one of the copies had the smallest amount of energy that was greater than the others had. It was only noticeable to those who were looking for it. He was smart enough not to divide his energy equally among the copies, and saved a bit for himself. It appeared that Tien was not wise enough to do the same. While that made it harder to track down the real Tien, it also made him more vulnerable on the off chance that Goku succeeded.

One of the Goku clones went from one clone to the next, attempting to find a weak-point. When he confronted one, he'd punch them in the gut, looking at the other Tiens for a sign of something. When nothing happened, he'd kick them away and move onto the next. The real Goku would keep the last clone busy, while he went through them one-by-one. He would remain close so that he could attack the moment they figured it out.

Then, when he hit the next clone, all of the other Tien clones flickered. The real Goku pulled his hands back, keeping his wrists together, and formed a bright blue ball of energy in his hands.

"KAMEHAMEHA!"

Tien barely ducked his head under his arms, as the blast hit him. All of the clones disappeared, as he fell and crashed onto the tournament stage. Goku's clones returned to his body, as he lowered himself to the ground.

Tien staggered back up, once more. He was breathing hard. "Amazing. I haven't been bested like that in a long time."

"Well, you probably shouldn't have split up your energy like that. It made you weaker to the attacks."

He shook his head. "You really are something, Goku… but you made a mistake, yourself."

Goku blinked. "Huh? What is it?"

"By not knocking me out of the ring when you had the chance."

Tien lifted his hands up, creating a triangle shape. The space between his hands began to glow gold, and sparks lit up his hands.

"TRI-BEAM, HA!"

A large pulse of light and wind pushed from his hands. Goku lifted up his arms, shutting his eyes, as he braced himself against the force. In short bursts, the pulses repeated, pushing Goku back just a little further. The patrons shielded their eyes from the blinding light, squinting to get a look at what was going on.

As Piccolo watched what was going on, he was trying to figure out what he was trying to do. Just based on his stance and screams, these attacks were taking a large toll on his body. Why was he risking it in a move that was just pushing Goku backwards?

Then, he quickly realized his plans.

"Goku," Piccolo yelled. "He's pushing you towards the edge!"

Goku opened one eye, and looked down. When he saw how close he was to the edge, his eyes widened. He trudged forward, marching through the heavy blasts. He dug his feet into the hard stone of the stage.

Tien hunched over, looking fatigued and desperately trying to catch his breath. The stance left him completely unguarded. Goku ran forward, and hit Tien in the gut. He kicked him into the air and grabbed him by his ankle. He spun him around in a circle and threw him out of the ring.

"Tien Shinhan has been thrown out of the ring, ladies and gentlemen! The champion of old has been surpassed! Son Goku will be moving onto the Semi-Finals!"

Goku looked back at Piccolo and gave him thumbs up.

"I'm so proud of you, Goku!"

His eyes widened and he blushed. He looked over into the crowd, where Chi-Chi and Gohan were cheering him on. He laughed awkwardly, and bashfully put his head down.

Tien climbed back onto the ring. "You've really outdone yourself, Goku," he said, as he finally managed to get back onto the stage. He walked over to him. "Just when I think you couldn't get any stronger, you surprise me."

"You didn't do too bad, either. I don't think there's a limit to how strong both of us can get."

Tien nodded, and held out his hand. "I'll make you follow-through on that, one day."

"It's a deal." Goku took his hand and they shook.

* * *

The first day proved itself a very exciting and eventful one. The crowds were on the edge of their seats during every fight, with nary a dull moment. Hundreds more would rush to the islands for a last-minute trip; word of mouth travelled fast, and they desperately wanted to see the remaining fights in person.

The Semi-Finals would go as followed:

1\. Ma Junior VS Yamcha

2\. Goku VS Krillin


	20. Chapter 20

New chapter, folks! Nothing more to say about it. Enjoy!

* * *

"Yo, Piccol-oh."

Piccolo opened an eye, as he sat against a wall. Yamcha was standing in front of him, with his hands on his hips.

"Guess you and I are gonna be up next. After all that you pulled yesterday, you've got me a little excited." He started stretching his arms. "Goku told me you're really strong, but I didn't think you were that strong."

Piccolo nodded and closed his eye, once more.

"Oh, I see: you're the stoic, brooding type. I get ya, I get ya. Well, good luck out there. I'll see you in a bit." He punched him in the arm once, before walking away.

Piccolo glanced at him, as he walked off. Out of all of Goku's friend, he was the one he would have suspected to treat him differently: what with his dashing good looks and all. Instead, he was acting just as friendly as Goku. He reminded him a little bit of Bulma, for some reason. It was probably the relaxed and casual attitude.

Why could he easily picture them together? He shook his head, at the thought.

* * *

When the Day 1 recaps finished playing, the tournament announcer came on stage, once more. "And that was all that you missed, yesterday. While that was quite exciting, today is going to be even more thrilling than the last! Today, our contestants will duke it out and only two will be moving onto the finals!

"Now, will our next contestants please come onstage?"

Yamcha came out first. The crowd whooped, upon seeing him, again.

"Ah, Yamcha! It's great to see you again, this year! If you remember, he made it all the way to the finals, once. What do you say, man? You hear to claim what is rightfully yours?"

He flipped his hair back. "You know it. I might have been caught off guard, last time, but that won't happen, again."

"You've done it once, and I'm sure you can do it, again!"

While the announcer was talking to Yamcha, Piccolo walked on stage, hoping to go by unnoticed.

"And here comes our other competitor: Junior! Many believe him to be the dark horse of this tournament. A first timer making it this far? This hasn't happened since the 22nd! With a seasoned vet going up against a newcomer, who knows what will happen?"

Piccolo and Yamcha stood opposite of each other, on different sides of the stage. They got into their fighting stances. Yamcha's was quite unique: he had all of his weight on one foot, while his other leg was sticking out straight. His arms were bent at different angles, reminding him a bit of animal paws. Maybe this fight would be a bit interesting.

The gong sounded and the fight began.

Yamcha jumped right towards him, ready to kick him in the face. Piccolo blocked the attack, but the force was much more than he anticipated. Piccolo shot his fist out towards him, and Yamcha blocked the attack, still in mid-air. He jumped backwards, somersaulting back onto his feet.

Piccolo jumped back towards him. Yamcha jumped into the air, and he followed him up. However, Yamcha shifted just to the right and dropped back onto the stage, sliding underneath him.

"KAMEHAMEHA!"

Yamcha fired a bright blue energy wave above him. Piccolo skirted out of the way, the energy scorching the bottom of his cape.

If that was how this was going to play out, he could match it with an attack of his own. He pulled his fist back and threw an energy ball at him. As he stood up, he saw the ball hurdling towards him.

Yamcha held out his hand in front of it, and it stopped. He rolled his wrist, and it hovered over his palm. He pointed his finger at Piccolo, and it went flying back up towards him. Piccolo dodged it, but Yamcha sent it flying at him, once more. When he turned around, it hit him square under his chin, knocking the wind out of him.

"What an amazing technique! If you recall, this is very similar to the technique he used against Tien Shinhan. That comeback was enough to knock him right out of the ring in a stunning upset! Will this be enough to take down Junior? Let's see!"

Piccolo remained in the air for several moments and floated back down to the stage. He wiped the side of his mouth: a small bit of purple stained the back of his hand.

"Man, you just won't stay down, will you," Yamcha said. Piccolo could tell that he was beginning to look winded.

"You're not bad," Piccolo said. "Your technique is impressive, but your endurance leaves more to be desire. I can tell you've already had enough."

He laughed. "We'll see about that. I've got one more trick under my sleeve: it's a classic."

Yamcha leaned backwards, getting back into his earlier stance. Then, he started running towards him. His speed gradually picked up, as he made his way across the stage. As he got closer, his image shifted into that of a wolf.

"WOLF FANG FIST!"

He kicked Piccolo in the face. He quickly followed up by punching him in rapid-fire movements. He brought both of his hands back and went to finish the deal with one more punch. Then, he would be out of the ring.

Piccolo blinked and flashed a bright light in his face, blinding him. Piccolo jumped behind him and kicked him off of the stage, landing on the ground below.

"Amazing! It appears that Yamcha has been rung-out! Junior will be moving onto the finals!"

The crowd went wild, amazed by the incredible comeback. It appeared that the dark horse was the one to root for, this year. Piccolo left the stage, without looking back.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. Yamcha was climbing back onto the stage, hobbling over to him, holding onto his side. When he reached him, he smirked and held out his hand. "That was a good fight."

Piccolo grabbed his hand and shook it, in affirmation.

From the sidelines, Goku, Tien, and Krillin were all watching the fight go down. Both Tien and Krillin looked on in shock and awe. In contrast, Goku was nodding, in approval.

"That Piccolo sure is something," Tien said. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Tell me about it," Krillin agreed. "Neither of us could stand against Yamcha's Wolf Fang Fist, when we were training with Roshi."

"I told you he's amazing! I haven't been this excited in a while!"

* * *

"And for our next fight, we have our second rematch for this tournament – Son Goku against Krillin! Both tournament veterans and both students of the Turtle Hermit. If you recall, they fought against each other in the twenty-second tournament as young boys, with Goku coming out on top. What will happen next? As far as we're concerned, anything goes!"

"Just like old times, huh," Goku asked.

Krillin laughed. "You can say that again. Honestly, I didn't think I'd get the chance you fight you a second time."

"As long as you haven't been slacking, then this will be fun!"

"Goku," Chi-Chi yelled from the audience. "If you win, I'll take you out to your favorite restaurant!"

"Really?" Chi-Chi winked at him, and Goku grinned.

The gong chimed, and the two fighters immediately went at each other. Goku pulled his fist back and punched Krillin square in the face, sending him careening towards the wall. Krillin flipped around and pushed his feet against it, propelling him back towards Goku. He threw an energy ball at him, which he dodged. However, Goku did not get out of the way in time, and Krillin kicked him in the face, knocking him off his feet.

Krillin pulled his hands back, doing the same move that Goku and Yamcha had done, before. Not to be outdone, Goku quickly followed suit.

"KAMEHAMEHA!"

They called their attacks in unison and fired at each other, their beams clashing in the middle. The beams pushed against each other, but neither fighter was willing to stand down. The crowd stared at the light show with oos and ahs.

Goku and Krillin stared each other down, each illuminated by the light of their attacks. They nodded at each other, and the attack disintegrated. Though the audience groaned, they quickly got back into their fighting stances.

"What's this," the announcer said. "It appears that both of our fighters agreed to pause their clashing. Ladies and gentlemen, could we be dealing with two opponents who are equally matched?"

As Piccolo watched from the sidelines, he knew that wasn't the case. Though Krillin was strong, his power didn't match Goku's. No, instead, they weren't looking to expend their energy this early in the match. Continuing with that clash would have been wasteful.

"You've sure gotten strong, Krillin! You've really been keeping up with your training."

"I'm still nothing compared to you, Goku. But don't think that I'll be going down easily."

"I wouldn't want it any other way!"

Krillin phased out of view, reappearing above. Goku jumped backwards, and he punched the tournament stage, turning the stones into dust. As Krillin's punches and kicks kept coming, Goku dodged them, while moving backwards.

Goku jumped into the air, and Krillin swiftly followed. They exchanged blows at a rapid pace, as they slowly descended towards the ground.

The announcer came equipped with binoculars, today. "What stunning déjà vu! Goku and Krillin are still fighting with all their might, even high into the sky! Perhaps earlier was just a show of restraint from both of the fighters. But they're still going at it! You do not want to count them out just yet!"

Goku punched Krillin hard in the air, sending him falling back onto the stage. He crashed into the hard stone tiles, landing on his head.

The crowd watched the fallen fighter with baited breath and suspense, waiting to see what would happen, next. A referee jumped on stage and started counting. If he were not up by the tenth count, then the match would be over.

"Krillin!" Goku immediately fell back down and ran up to him. "Are you okay?"

Slowly, Krillin began to stand up, once more. As he stood with his legs shaking for several moments, he slumped back down to the ground. He looked up at Goku and laughed. "I guess I'm done for. I give up."

"Oh! Krillin has forfeited the match! Despite showing more tenacity and strength than many fighters could ever possess, he seems to know his limits. Regardless, this is certainly an epic match that will be remembered for years! Son Goku will be moving forward to the finals!"

The crowd erupted into cheering and applause for both fighters. Goku knelt down next to Krillin and helped him stand back up. "Wow, you really have gotten stronger! I never knew!"

Krillin shook his head. "So what, if you still end up losing…"

"Hey, don't talk like that. It was still a really fun fight!"

Paramedics ran over to help Krillin, as well. After the fall he had done, they wanted to make sure he didn't suffer a concussion or anything serious. Krillin reassured Goku that he would be okay, as he was trying to apologize for knocking him down so hard.

Goku walked backstage, where Piccolo was waiting for him. He had been quite impressed by the Earth fighters' performances, during this tournament. They truly were capable. "That was some fight," he said.

"Yeah. Krillin's really gotten strong!" As they started to walk out, Goku suddenly stopped. "I guess this means I get to fight you, tomorrow!"

"Indeed."

"That's gonna be great! You did amazing, up against Yamcha! Now, let's go find Chi-Chi and get something to eat. Sound good?"

Piccolo nodded and the two of them left the tournament area.

* * *

The semi-finals proved to be even more exciting than the quarterfinals. Only the best of the best got through and it truly showed. The fights were intense, exciting, and energetic. All of this would be leading up to the most exciting fight of them all: the finals.

It was anybody's guess who would win. Both Ma Junior and Goku had proven themselves strong and capable fighters: well up for any challenge that could face them. Tomorrow, they would finally clash.

Only one would go home a champion.


	21. Chapter 21

I posted an update on Thursday, so go check that one out, too. If you have, Enjoy!

* * *

"You two made this so hard for me," Chi-Chi said, as they stood outside of the tournament gates. "I don't know which one of you I should root for."

"Well, look at it this way," Goku said. "You don't have to get upset if one of us loses because you've been rooting for both of us! You get to win, regardless!"

She sighed and shook her head. "I suppose so. Just… have fun up there. Both of you. We'll be in the stands, cheering you both on."

Gohan jumped in his mother's arms. "Dada! Dada!"

Goku took Gohan away from Chi-Chi, for a moment. He rubbed the top of his head, moving his hat around. "I'll win it for you, little guy! Promise."

Gohan giggled and smiled. He reached out towards Piccolo. "Pikkoyo!"

Piccolo rubbed his knuckle against his cheek, making him smile bigger.

Chi-Chi took him back. "We better get to our seats. Good luck, you two."

"Bye!"

Goku waved at Chi-Chi and Gohan, as they left for the general entrance.

"See, there he is. Over by the entrance."

"Goku! Hey, Goku!"

Goku looked up and around, then over at Piccolo. "Did you say my name?" Piccolo shook his head.

"Over here, you big oaf!"

They looked over to their right. Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien were there, and joined by a few others – short pale man with red cheeks was standing next to Tien. Next to Yamcha, there was a flying blue cat and a pig dressed in khakis and a polo shirt.

Goku's face lit up with a smile. "Oolong! Puar! Chiaotzu!" He ran over to them and caught them in a big bear hug. "I missed you guys so much!"

"No thanks to you," the pig said, in a strained voice. It looked like he was trying to get out of his tight hold. "You're the one who stayed away for so long."

When Goku looked up, again, he saw Krillin in the crowd. "Hey, Krillin! You still okay?"

He laughed, awkwardly. Underneath his hat, there was a bit of a bandage sticking out of it. "Doc said I just need to take it easy, for a while. Said I was lucky you didn't know my brain out of place, back there."

Goku scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. I'm still sorry about that…"

"Goku, my boy, don't tell me I still need to teach you to control your strength." Master Roshi walked over, gripping his walking stick.

"It's not his fault, Roshi. I was just too weak."

"Nonsense, Krillin. You've proven time and time again that you're a true martial artist. Don't put yourself down because someone forgot his strength."

"Yeah. I was just getting a bit too into the fight. Wasn't your fault."

The pig laughed. "I guess you really haven't changed, Goku."

Piccolo stayed where he was, watching Goku catch-up with his old peers. Before this tournament started, he didn't know just how many lives he had touched. All of these people of different backgrounds and histories all came together because of him. He never would have suspected it, when he had first met him. However, the more he had gotten to know him, the more sense it made.

Speaking from his experience alone, he truly had an effect on people.

He was pulled from his thoughts when the flying cat got right in his face. He glared at him, speaking in a very high-pitched voice. "You! You're that guy that beat up Lord Yamcha! How dare you!"

Yamcha immediately ran over. "Hey, Puar, it's fine. Don't get mad at him – it was just for the tournament."

"Says you!" Puar turned his fury towards Yamcha. "You've worked hard for so long and you still don't get any credit! How much longer are you going to put up with it?!"

The pig sprayed him with a water bottle he pulled out of nowhere. "Down, pussycat. No need to get your whiskers in a twist."

Goku laughed, as he went back over to it. "I guess you've met Puar and Oolong, now." He gestured towards the short man with the rosy cheeks. "That's Chiaotzu – he's one of Tien's friends. We met at the same tournament."

Conversations were cut off by the buzzing of the loudspeaker. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls: the final round of the World Martial Arts Tournament will begin in just a few moments. Take your seats now, before they get taken for you. And will our finalists please report to the tournament stage? Thank you."

Tien leaned down and picked up Chiaotzu. "We better be getting to our seats," Tien said. "Good luck. We'll be rooting for you, Goku."

Yamcha put his hand on Piccolo's shoulder. "I'm betting on you, my good man. I think you'll manage to overcome him." Piccolo awkwardly nodded, not used to that praise.

"See you at the end of the tournament, champ," Krillin said.

"Thanks," Goku saluted to his friends, before leaving. "We better get going, Piccolo!"

Just as Piccolo started walking, he paused. When he turned around, Master Roshi was staring at him. He couldn't clearly see his expression behind his glasses, but even that could not mask his distrust.

"I am not my father," was all he said to him, before he followed Goku.

* * *

"I hope you all have enjoyed this exciting tournament! I'll tell you what, ladies and gentlemen, in my twenty years of hosting this fine event; I can say without hesitance that this might be the best of them all! However, as usual, only one man can go home as champion. Who will it be? Make some noise if you're ready to find out!" The crowd applauded and cheered, chanting for the final fight to begin.

"I won't keep you waiting any longer! Will our contestants please make their way onto the stage?"

Goku came out first, and the crowd cheered his name.

The announcer walked over to him. "Ah, Son Goku! Tournament fans may remember that he has been a part of nearly every tournament for the past decade and has only won once. How does it feel to be back?" He pushed the microphone towards him.

"It feels awesome! I've missed fighting all of these strong guys!"

He laughed. "He truly hasn't changed. Say, in your last tournament, you stunned everyone with a proposal to your competition. What ever happened with that, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Who, Chi-Chi? Yeah, she's right over there." He pointed to where she was standing in the crowd.

The announcer leapt over to her. "Ah, there she is! Tell me, how's the married life been, sweetheart? And is that a baby you're holding? That wouldn't happen to be Son Goku's son, wouldn't it?"

Gohan huddled his face into his mom's shoulder, to get away from the strange man with glasses. Chi-Chi was so caught off-guard by his questions that she didn't have anything to say. Piccolo rolled his eyes, as he watched from backstage. He lifted his finger, and the microphone exploded. Gohan started crying, and Chi-Chi glared at him. "Get out of my son's face," she yelled at him.

"Right! Sorry, ma'am," the announcer slunk back onto the stage. "Can I get another microphone, please?"

Piccolo walked on stage, and the crowd went nuts. They cheered his pseudonym in a synchronized chant. As he looked over the audience, he saw signs with his name and face on them being waved high. There were similar signs with Goku's face on them, as well. This was quite foreign to him, to say the least.

His steps stopped. As he looked over the crowd, he felt a familiar presence. He tried to find the source of it, but there were too many people for him to pinpoint it. He couldn't put his finger on it, but one energy stood out among all of the others. He shook his head; this was distracting him. He'd mull over it, when this whole thing was over.

One of the staff ran up and handed the tournament announcer a new microphone. Immediately, he went back into action. "And here we have our biggest surprise of the tournament – Junior! He's stunned everyone and has made it all the way here, beating a few veterans in the meantime! Will this be a win for the dark horse, or will our old champion reclaim his title? Stick around, folks, and we'll find out!"

Goku and Piccolo took their places on the opposite sides of the stage. Piccolo found himself growing excited, as they stared each other down. Sure, he had fought with Goku before, but only in friendly sparring. This was different. It was competitive, and something was at stake. It might have been just a title, but that didn't matter.

"Now, let the fight-"

Goku interrupted the announcer. "Do you mind if I do something, real quick?"

"Uh… okay. Take as much time as you need!"

Goku lowered the top of his gi, letting it hang above his waste. He slipped off his blue undershirt, breathing in relief, when it went over his head. He promptly dropped it on the ground. The weight of the shirt broke the stones on the stage.

A gaggle of women sighed and swooned, as his bare chest. "Oh, Goku!" "Marry me!" "We love you!"

Chi-Chi yelled back at them. "BACK OFF, HE'S MARRIED!" That promptly shut them up.

Goku slipped the top of his gi back on. "Something tells me I'm not gonna wanna hold back against you, Piccolo." His wristbands quickly followed, doing the same as the shirt. He sat down and took of his shoes, as well.

Piccolo looked down at the discarded clothes. "Are those clothes weighted," he asked.

"Yup! Kami said I could get stronger if I did everything with weights on." Goku jumped back onto his feet and hopped in the air several times. "Man, I feel so light!" He looked back at the announcer. "Thanks for waiting!"

"Oh, uh, okay! Can we get this off of the stage, please?"

Two staff members rushed on the stage. They struggled to lift the heavy materials, and chose to drag them out of the arena.

Piccolo smirked, holding the collar of his cape. "Well, if it's going to be like that…" He lifted it over his head, and threw it behind him. The bulk of the cape landed on top of the staff, crushing them with its weight. His turban was discarded, as well. "I'll follow your advice."

"Okay! I think we've waited long enough! Is everybody ready?!"

The crowd responded in kind, cheering loudly for the two fighters.

"Good luck, Goku," yelled Krillin.

"You can do it," Yamcha shouted.

"Do your best, boys," Chi-Chi cried, as Gohan laughed and jumped up and down.

"Then let the fight begin!"

The gong chimed.


	22. Chapter 22

We're in the home stretch, ladies and gentlemen. Please enjoy.

* * *

Goku and Piccolo charged at each other, clashing in the middle. Their moves were almost mirrored to each other. When they tried to kick each other, their knees collided. When they tried to throw a punch, their fists collided. Piccolo head butted Goku, pushing him backwards. He leapt after him, to catch up to where he'd fall. However, Goku did a back flip, standing upright once more. He spun around and elbowed Piccolo under his face. As he staggered backwards, Goku kicked him in the face.

However, before he flew away, Piccolo stretched his arm out and grabbed Goku's ankle, using him to propel himself forward, once more. The force of the move made him fall to the ground. As Piccolo aimed a punch towards him, Goku kicked him in the stomach with both feet, with enough force to send him flying into the sky.

Piccolo stopped himself and dove right back down, swiping at Goku's head. He ducked just in time. Goku punched him in the gut, but Piccolo only grunted in surprise. He grabbed Goku by his arm and threw him onto the ground, behind him. Goku jumped onto his knees, and grabbed Piccolo by his ankles, intending to do the same to him. Instead, he flew into the air, and Goku lost his grip, falling onto his back.

Piccolo landed back down, on one foot.

Goku laughed. "Man, you really are strong. How come you never did any of this, during our training?"

"My power is far greater than you could comprehend, Goku – those spars would have been boring, had I overpowered you the whole time."

"Yeah. I get that." He stood back up again. "Now, I'm ready for you."

They charged at each other once more. They exchanged blows until they each caught each other's fists. They pushed against one another, neither wanting to stand down. Their feet sunk into the stone tiles of the tournament stage. They stared at each other, sporting similar smirks. An aura glowed and flickered around them, blinding the audience.

"Wow," the announcer yelled. "Neither fighter is backing down! Has the champion Son Goku finally found his match?"

Krillin shook his fist. "Goku! You can do it! Show him whose boss!"

"Let him have it," Tien yelled.

Piccolo's eyes began to glow, and Goku ducked his head, avoiding the scolding lasers. Piccolo let go of his fists and kicked him in his chin, while he was distracted. He elbowed him in the face, sending him careening towards the back wall of the tournament stage. Before he could react, he was kicked in the face, falling dangerously close to the edge of the ring. He realized this just in time, and pushed himself high into the sky.

"Hey, that's not fair," Goku whined. "I can't reach you, all the way up there!"

Piccolo crossed his arms. "If you can't find a way to do it, then just give up." He was intentionally trying to goad him into trying something big. He was curious as to what he would do.

Goku grit his teeth. He crouched down, brought his wrists together, and held them to his side. His aura began to radiate, as a small blue ball of energy was formed between his palms.

"KAAAAAAAAA-MEEEEEEEEEEE..."

The announcer blinked. "Could it be? Yes, I think it is! Son Goku is going to do the Kamehameha! A trademark technique of the Turtle Hermit School, only mastered by the best of the best fighters. We are in for something special today!"

"HAAAAAAAAAA-MEEEEEEEEEE..."

"Yeah," Krillin exclaimed. "I knew he'd find a way!"

Roshi nodded. "Though he best be careful, unless he wants to accidentally kill him."

"What," Chi-Chi asked. "Kill him?"

"A kamehameha of that size and length is nothing to be trifled with. If he isn't careful, that may very well be a possibility."

Chi-Chi gripped Gohan tighter. "Goku," she yelled. "Be careful! Don't hurt him!"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Goku unleashed the powerful blast, aiming it directly at Piccolo. As the blast got closer, Piccolo quickly realized the true gravity of his situation. Being hit head-on by a blast that large would no-doubt be deadly. He moved out of the way, but that was of no use. Goku moved his hands to one side and the beam still followed him. Even as he got closer to the ground, once more, he was still trailed by the large blast.

Having enough, he clenched his teeth, and held his arm out in front of it. The collision created a large ball of smoke, blowing all over the audience. Everyone ducked their heads, protecting themselves from the light and dust.

When it did finally clear, everyone was in for a massive shock.

Goku's eyes widened. "Y-your arm!"

Piccolo's entire right arm was broken. His purple blood was dripping down the dead limp, now colored a dark born.

"Wow! I don't think we've seen anything like this before! Junior's arm is completely broken!" He tugged at his collar, while frantically looking at the staff. "I, uh, actually don't know what the procedure is for these kinds of medical emergencies, to be honest."

Piccolo held onto his shoulder. "It's nothing," he said, between his teeth. "I've had worse."

He sunk his fingers into his shoulder, and tore off the severed limb in one rip. The audience reaction was mixed – some had to look away out of pure shock and others couldn't take their eyes off of it. Piccolo paid no mind to those reactions. He braced his feet on the ground and focused all of his energy into his missing limb. He let out a long and loud scream, growing louder as the seconds ticked by.

Then, out of nowhere, a new arm shot from out of his socket. He breathed heavily, as he held his wrist in his hand with his twitching fingers. There were audible gasps from the audience, at this display, and the crowd began to whisper amongst each other about who this Junior person really was.

Goku could only stare down at it, in awe. Even he was at a loss for words.

Piccolo lunged forward, kicking him in the face. He only got one hit on him, before Goku began dodging and blocking his attacks, once more. Though they continued to fight, both were growing more fatigued: Goku from his Kamehameha and Piccolo from regenerating his limb. However, neither would admit defeat, and the fight continued.

Eventually, they reached a stalemate. They were equally matched, and could not summon any more energy to continue. Unable to find the motivation or energy to move forward, they simply stared each other down, across the stage.

"What's this? Has the fighting reached its end, already? Neither Goku nor Junior is moving." The crowd started booing and throwing things at the stage. "Hey come on, everyone. This fight isn't over yet. Maybe they've lost their motivation just a little. I say let's give them some encouragement with cheering and applause! All together now!"

The tournament announcer's words seemed to tide over the crowd, and they begun cheering for their favorite fighters: chanting their names and yelling encouraging words at them.

"Goku, get moving," Tien yelled. "You can take him on!"

"You've taken on guys way scarier than him," shouted Krillin. "This guy's a chump!"

Piccolo could only hear words for Goku. He couldn't hear anyone shouting his name. As soft as that sounded, that didn't do much to make him want to start moving again. Even though Goku began to stand up right, once more, he had yet to do the same.

"COME ON, PICCOLO! YOU CAN DO IT!"

He blinked. That voice. That sounded so much like…

He turned around and looked in the direction where the sound came from. As he looked over the faces in the crowd, one stuck out to him: a petite woman with bright blue hair and eyes that matched. She was hunched over, with her hands cupped around her mouth.

"I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT! TAKE HIM OUT!"

Like a bolt of lightning, Piccolo felt himself gain his will to fight, once more. He stood up straight and looked over at his opponent. Nothing could stop him, now. He would claim his victory.

They charged at each other one more time, throwing everything they had at each other: punches, kicks, scratches, slaps, and everything in between. The crowd had come on their side, once more, cheering and screaming for them.

They jumped backwards, thinking the same thing independently of each other. They pulled their hands back and fired a large energy blast at each other. The beams met in the middle, pushing as they tried to gain dominance over the other. The crowds cries grew louder and louder, staring in amazement at the lightshow on display.

Then, there was an explosion. In the middle, where the beams met, something gave way, and it created a great burst of light and energy. The audience ducked their heads once more, as a burst of hot wind coursed over them. Goku and Piccolo were pushed backwards, landing on their backs with a loud thud.

A loud silence fell over the crowd, waiting with baited breath for one or both of them to stand up.

"Impossible! Are both Goku and Junior out for the count? This has only happened once before, ladies and gentlemen! If one of them does not stand up by the end of the count to ten, then this match will have ended in a draw- Wait!"

Piccolo slowly staggered onto his feet, once more.

"It appeared that Junior has stood up! If Goku does not stand up by the end of the count, then Junior will be declared our champion!"

Piccolo walked over to Goku, looking down at him.

Goku laughed. "I guess you really are stronger," he said, in a strained voice.

He smirked down at him. "Maybe so." He extended his hand down to him.

"What's this?! If Junior helps Goku stand up, then the match will still be on! This is unprecedented, folks! Never before has never happened in the history of this tournament!"

Goku took hold of his hand, and used it to hoist himself back onto his feet. "This isn't over," he said. "I'll get strong enough to surpass you, one day."

"I'd like to see you try."

Piccolo turned on his heel, walking towards the edge of the ring. The announcer stared at him, as he made his way across the stage. "Uh, Junior, sir… the match is still going on. If you leave, it will be an automatic forfeit."

He looked back at the announcer. "I know." He hopped down onto the ground, and exited through the back alleyway.

"Oh… oh! Junior has forfeited the match! Son Goku is our champion!"

The crowd went wild, throwing everything into the air as they clapped and cheered his name. Goku looked around the stage, confused. As he began to realize what had happened, a large smile formed on his face. The announcer walked over to him and lifted his fist into the air, as a sign of victory. Confetti and streamers rained from the sky.

Chi-Chi jumped over the fence. "Goku!" She ran over to him, and jumped onto him, hastily handing Gohan off to the tournament announcer. Goku accepted the embrace, spinning them around. "I knew you could do it!"

Goku brought her into a kiss, surprising and shocking her deeply. Eventually, she returned it in kind, wrapping her arms tightly over his shoulders. The crowd's whooping and cheering grew louder, at the display.

Gohan started wriggling towards them, gaining their attention. The tournament announcer was having a hard time holding onto him. Goku immediately took him back, bouncing him up and down, as he laughed.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, if it is ever doubted that anything and everything can happen at the World Martial Arts Tournament, look no further than this year's fights. Thank you for coming, everyone! Let's give Son Goku- no, let's give all of our amazing participants one more big round of applause!"

Piccolo could hear the tournament announcer's words from over the loudspeaker. A small smile formed on his face. Son Goku truly was an amazing man. He couldn't think of a better opponent to lose to. He turned on his heel and continued walking down the small corridor.

"Hey, Piccolo!"

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. Bulma was running down the hallway, waving her hand in the air. She looked different, from when he last saw her on Namek. Her hair was in a ridiculous looking perm, pulled back by a headband. It made her look younger - more full of life, even. At least he did not have to worry about how her new life had been treating her.

"I didn't think I'd see you, here! When I saw you on TV, at the first match, I came down her as fast as I could! How are you? How have you been?"

"Fine. How's the ambassador life treating you?"

She ran her fingers through her curls. "You know: same old, same old. I've gotta convince some bureaucrat types to open up trade ports. Boring stuff like that, really." She shrugged. "What are you gonna do? Hey, I'm gonna be here on Earth for another month. We should totally find some time to hang out, for a little bit! She held her elbows and sighed, while shaking her head. "I've really missed you, this past year. I've been wondering how you've adjusted and all that. I've been trying to track you down the past few times I've been here, but haven't had any luck. But I'm glad to see you've been doing well. You deserve it.

Before Piccolo could respond, some buzzer went off. Bulma's eyes widened and she pulled out something from her pocket. "Sorry, give me a second. I'll try to make this quick."

She opened the device and pressed a button on it. "Hello? Hi, daddy… Still at the tournament. What is it? I'm in the middle of something, at the moment" She sighed. "Alright, but try to make it fast…" She tapped her fingers on the device, as she waited for a response. Then, her eyes widened. From where he stood, Piccolo could pick up a gravelly-sounding baritone. "Oh… h-hi! I wasn't expecting you to stop by so soon… That's fantastic! What else?" She nodded. "Okay, I'll be on my way back, soon… I love you." She closed the device.

She looked back at him. "Duty calls. I've got someone to meet someone, soon." She pulled out a notepad and scribbled something down. She shoved it towards him. "Please, let me know when you want to meet up, while I'm still on Earth. I'd love to catch up more with you, then."

"Sure, kid."

"Great! I'll see you around! Take care of yourself, Piccolo!" She ran past him, out through the back entrance.

Piccolo watched her, as she made her exit. Even after all that had happened this past year, he hadn't forgotten about her. Everything he had gained was because she believed in him. Bulma was the first person who treated him as anything other than a monster or a slave. If it had not been for her, he wouldn't have ended up here – accepted by a family that loved him. He truly owed her his entire life.

If she needed something, he'd be there for her.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Goku, Chi-Chi, and Gohan walking towards him. Chi-Chi was carrying a large check in one hand for 500,000 zeni, along with a few flowers and stuffed animals that were thrown onto the stage. Goku was carrying Gohan on his shoulders, while he held onto his hair.

"That was so much fun," Goku exclaimed. "This was the best tournament ever!" He pointed down at the check. "So, what are we gonna do with all that zeni?"

"This is going straight into Gohan's savings account. We have to start saving early so he can go to a nice school, when he's older."

Gohan started giggling, pulling on Goku's hair. Goku winced, and brought him back down, holding him in one arm. "I think he likes that idea." He looked at Piccolo and waved at him. "Yo, you ready to go home, yet?"

Piccolo nodded, and followed them through the exit.

"I'm so proud of both of you," Chi-Chi said, when Piccolo rejoined them. "I always knew you would make it this far. I am surprised you were willing to throw the fight like that, though."

"He didn't really throw it, though: it was basically a draw. Still, your power was incredible! One day, I'm gonna take you on again. Maybe I can beat you, by then."

"You can try," Piccolo said.

"I won't let you down!"

Chi-Chi interjected. "Well, you two can worry about that another day. How about we all go home and I can fix our champion something good to eat?"

"Thanks, Chi-Chi! You're the best!"

And so, the Son family made their way back home for a well-deserved celebration. This had proven to be an exciting tournament for everyone involved, and none would forget it anytime soon.


	23. Chapter 23

Stay tuned to the end of the story for some liner notes. Enjoy!

* * *

The Sons had taken a trip down to Frying Pan Mountain for an extended vacation. Ox King was more than happy to welcome them, as he had planned to go up and visit them for Gohan's second birthday. Either way, they could all celebrate it together.

Chi-Chi pushed a present over to him. "Go on, Gohan. Open this one, next. It's from mommy."

Gohan grabbed onto the paper, tearing it and throwing wrapping paper everywhere. As he tried to open the box, Piccolo leaned over him, and helped him remove the lid. Gohan grabbed onto the object inside and pulled it out.

His eyes widened and he looked at his mother.

"What is it? What did you get?"

He lifted it up with his tiny, chubby arms and showed it off to the others.

"Is that a Dragon," Goku asked. Gohan nodded. "It looks just like Shenron. That's awesome! Great choice, Chi-Chi."

She shrugged. "It wasn't all my idea. Piccolo helped me pick it out."

The Ox King walked back into the room at this moment, carrying a few heavy boxes. "Well, then you have good taste, Piccolo!"

Chi-Chi shook her head, as she helped her father set the boxes on the floor. "Dad, you really didn't have to go so overboard with the presents. There will be other birthdays, you know."

"Oh, these aren't for Gohan!" He handed a smaller box to Chi-Chi "This is for you, princess."

She looked down at the box in surprise. She tilted it side to side, before unwrapping it. She gasped, as she pulled out her gift – it was a helmet with a large blade in the middle of it. "Where did you get this old thing?"

"I found it digging in the attic. I had some guys resize it, clean it up, and sharpen the blade a little bit. I thought you might like to have it!"

Goku leaned back on the couch. "Man. That was a really long time ago. It feels like just yesterday." He laughed. "Did you remake the armor, too? I might like to see that, too!"

Chi-Chi blushed. "Goku, not in front of Gohan!"

"I'm not even going to ask," Piccolo muttered, as he shook his head.

Ox King handed another box to Goku, as he laughed at Goku's joke. "Maybe another day. In the meantime, this is for you!"

Goku's eyes lit up, as he hastily opened the present, making even more of a mess than Gohan did. He tore open the box, and its contents plopped into his lap. It was a worn-out training gi. He lifted it up and inspected it. "Hey, what's this?"

"That was the old uniforms that Master Roshi had me and your grandpa wear. Old Gohan handed it off to me, when we finished out training. Thought I might get more use out of it than he would."

"You mean Grandpa wore this?" Ox King nodded. "Wow! That's so cool! Thanks so much, Ox King!"

The last wrapped present was the biggest of all – a large, flat rectangle. Ox King carefully lifted it back up, and waddled back over to the couch. "Well, this one's for all of you to enjoy." He stopped in front of Piccolo, who just looked up at him, strangely. He laughed. "Don't look so surprised! Take it!"

Eventually, Piccolo took the large present from him. Goku picked Gohan up off the floor and scooted closer to him. Chi-chi leaned over the arm of the couch. They wanted to see what this was going to be as well.

Piccolo used one of his nails to pierce the wrapping paper, dragging it down the length of the frame. He slowly tore open the remaining pieces, revealing its contents.

It was a large framed canvas of the Son family. Goku stood next to Chi-Chi, pulling her close to him. Gohan was balanced in one of his arms, looking up at his father with a confused expression. It was a pretty portrait of the small family.

"Oh, it's so beautiful," Chi-Chi said, as she began to tear up. "We're all here! How did you get this?"

"I know a couple of really good painters and asked them if they could do something with all of you. I gave them a few of your old pictures so they could get your look just right – hope that was fine with you."

"No, it's wonderful! Thank you so much, dad!"

Goku leaned in closer to the picture, bringing Gohan closer. "Look, Gohan: that's you! Isn't that cool?" Gohan giggled, when he recognized himself. Goku pointed at his portrait. "And who's that?"

"Dada!"

"That's right: it's daddy!" Goku stretched his arm across the canvas, pointing at Chi-Chi's portrait. "Who's that?"

"Mama!"

"Good! It's your mommy!"

Chi-Chi pointed somewhere else on the canvas. "Now, who's that?"

"Pikkoyo!"

Piccolo's eyes widened. Sure enough, he was there, as well. He wasn't off in the background or hidden by anything – he was standing with them, right behind Chi-Chi. He nearly dropped the whole painting right then and there; he was in that much shock.

"It's like you said, Chi-Chi," Goku said, nudging Piccolo with his elbow. "The whole family's here!"

There was that word again: family. He looked over at Goku and Gohan, then at Chi-Chi. These people truly believed that he was one of their own. Even though he came from such a different place and wasn't of their blood, they didn't care: they cared for him all the same. Never had he been so accepted and, dare he say it, loved as he was, now.

It was crazy to think how much had changed in less than a year. All of his life, he had believed he was destined to be alone. Whether it was through serving cruel masters or living out on his own for the rest of his days, it would always end in solitude. And yet, through pure tenacity and good faith, one man had opened his door for him and let him in. Though it had taken some adjustments on everyone's part, he had grown to find his place and had gained something he had been missing for his entire life: purpose.

* * *

 _Piccolo stood on a barren cliff, overlooking the landscapes of Planet Namek. This should have been it. This should have been the moment where he found his place. He had been reunited with his people. He was home, after centuries of being away. This should have been closure, after a long life of slavery._

 _Yet, when he looked over the blue seas and green skies, he felt nothing. Nothing but a vague nostalgia of memories he had long since forgotten._

 _Footsteps came up, behind him. He glanced back at the Grand Elder's assistant for a moment, before looking back over the seas. "What do you want?"_

 _"The Grand Elder wished to meet you, personally. I believe he has some words for you."_

 _He supposed that he couldn't turn down an invitation from him, regardless of how disconnected he was from his heritage. "You lead."_

 _Piccolo followed behind Nail, flying above the peaceful landscape until they reached his home. The door opened for them, and they went inside. Nail smiled at him, stepped beneath the hole in the ceiling and floated to the second floor. Piccolo said nothing, as he did the same._

 _"Elder, the Namekian known as Piccolo has come."_

 _"Step aside, Nail. You have done well."_

 _Piccolo looked up at the Grand Elder with a blank expression. He was certainly much larger than he had imagined, but it did not surprise him much. He had seen much stranger things in his life than a giant Namekian. He removed his turban, as he stepped in front of him – a sign of respect._

 _"Ah, Piccolo. It is good to finally meet you. Bulma has spoken much about you. I never would have suspected that the son of Katas would turn out to be such a powerful warrior. If he were still alive today, I am sure he would be proud."_

 _Piccolo nodded. He didn't have anything to say on that point; he had no memory of his Namekian father and the praise meant nothing to him._

 _The Grand Elder sighed. "It pains me to know of your misfortune and suffering. A Namekian divided by his heritage and forced to tear himself apart. I can only imagine the pain that must have wrought. I sense that division in you, still."_

 _"I've learned to deal with it, by now. No need to worry yourself over it."_

 _"I do not doubt your capabilities, but I fear that one day, it will become too great for even you to handle. The pain and suffering may return and consume you. Piccolo, you may be independent, but you do not have to go through this, alone. There may be others that are able to accept you and help."_

 _"Even if that were true, where am I going to find that? No disrespect, but I won't find it from the rest of you here."_

 _"I realize that well. However, if you will let me make a suggestion, perhaps you should return to your old home."_

 _Piccolo raised an eyebrow. "You mean Earth. Sorry to disappoint you, but I know what Earthlings are like: they wouldn't even go near me."_

 _"I do think you may be surprised. There may very well be someone there willing to lend you a helping hand. The final decision is yours to make, my brother. You are free to make your own choices. All I ask that you at least consider this. I sense that a purpose is waiting for you, there."_

* * *

His sense of respect had kept him from just scoffing and leaving the hut without another word. He had no reason to believe the Grand Elder, as wise and powerful as he might have been. For all he knew, he could have predicted something wrong.

But he had been correct.

Piccolo was nudged once more by Goku. "Hey, you okay?"

He shook his head, as he was pulled from his thoughts. "I've never been better."

He grinned. "I'm glad! I was beginning to think you didn't like the painting, or something."

Piccolo looked over the portrait, once more. As his eyes roamed over the delicate paint strokes, his gaze landed right in the middle – where Goku, Chi-Chi, and Gohan were standing. As he looked at their happy faces, a small smile formed on his face.

They were his purpose.

They were his life.

They were his family.

And he would never leave them.

 **THE END**

* * *

And so another chapter in my thrilling saga comes to an end. Thank you all so much for reading this. I had so much fun writing this. It took a few different turns than I was expecting, but the end result is basically what I had planned, from the start.

I mentioned earlier that this story was happening, regardless of if A Thrilling Chase was getting a sequel. There's a reason for that. Most of the character arcs I felt came to a pretty nice conclusion - Bulma got the boy and was able to go home, Vegeta got the freedom he wanted, King Vegeta repaired his relationship with his son, the Saiyans overcame Frieza, the works. I wasn't quite satisfied with how I ended Piccolo's arc. I left it kind of open ended. He gained his freedom, sure, but nothing much besides that. So, I got the idea to finish that up with a spin-off. Hopefully you're satisfied with how his arc has come to an end. For now, of course. There may be new developments in the sequel.

On that note, I am happy to say that I have made pretty decent progress on the sequel to A Thrilling Chase. You can expect to see it going up either by the end of this year or early next year. There'll be a little break so I can get a few things done with other stories before I really start committing to a new one. After that, it'll be back to business as usual, so keep your eyes open for that first chapter. I'm not sure how many people reading this story haven't read A Thrilling Chase yet, but if you haven't, now's the perfect time to catch up.

As usual, thank you so much for all your wonderful feedback with your favorites and comments. Until next time!


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